Feb 16: Grim anniversary of Ukraine's unprovoked attack on Donbass
Feb 16: Grim anniversary of Ukraine's unprovoked attack on Donbass
In 2015-2021, Kiev and NATO built an army 300,000 strong. On Feb 16, 2022 they unleashed hell on the people of Donbass, igniting Europe's worst war since 1945.
February 16 is the tragic anniversary that the western media won’t tell you about.
On Feb 16, 2022, NATO’s far-right regime in Kiev stepped up its slaughter of civilians and rebels in Donbass. Moscow faced a choice: intervene in Ukraine's civil war or idly watch a genocide unfold. Eight days later, Russian troops crossed into Ukraine and began dismantling the regime’s military machine.
After years of being bullied and conned by the West, the Kremlin had had enough. For 8 years Moscow patiently negotiated in good faith with Kiev and NATO countries, (the Minsk Accords), only asking for autonomy and basic human rights for ethnic Russians (Ukrainian citizens) in the Donbass region. But all that time, NATO and Kiev secretly prepared an invasion to cleanse the region of ethnic Russians.
The roots of the Ukraine war go back to spring 2014 when Kiev’s military brutally bombed rebel Donbass towns and cities that supported independence from Ukraine following an illegal violent insurrection in Kiev in February 2014.
Fighting for their homes and lives, the ragtag rebel army of Donbass heroically stood its ground for almost 8 years in the face of incessant bombing that often targeted vital civilian infrastructure. In the end, nearly 2 million civilians fled the republic and most sought refuge in Russia.
“The vast majority of Donbass residents were and are pro-Russian. Those who supported the actions of the Kiev regime left Donbass back in 2014-2015.” recalls Marina, a Donbass local who I’ve known for many years.
During those dark years, Moscow only provided the rebels with small amounts of weapons and aid, and so, Kiev conquered most of Donbass, except a few cities, such as Donetsk and Lugansk. Thousands were killed by Kiev’s death battalions, such as Azov, which mercilessly shelled rebel areas, and kidnapped and murdered “separatists”, which meant anyone who disagreed with Kiev’s far-right regime. Entire cities, such as Mariupol, were held hostage by Azov’s thugs and terrorized.
Fast forward to early 2022
The desire for freedom among the people of Donbass should resonate with every American. We pride ourselves on supporting those who fight tyranny, especially rebels, since our country was forged under similar circumstances.
Today, however, few in the U.S. and Europe know what’s really happening in Donbass and across Ukraine. Almost everything the western media says about the conflict is a lie, and part of a false narrative carefully crafted by media spin doctors that work for the Pentagon, CIA, White House, and other U.S. government agencies.
In January 2022, the White House pushed a false narrative about an imminent “Russian invasion” of Ukraine. Not many believed it. After the collapse of the U.S.-backed regime in Afghanistan, Biden had zero credibility on foreign affairs. On the home front, he faced growing opposition to his illegal Covid vaccine mandates.
Meanwhile, north of the border, Justin Trudeau faced the most serious popular uprising in Canada’s history, also due to illegal Covid vaccine mandates. That freedom movement, spearheaded by truckers, threatened to bring Canada to a standstill. Trudeau brutally cracked down on peaceful protestors, shocking the nation.
The Canadian freedom movement began to inspire Americans, as hundreds of thousands of protestors began to organize and march to challenge Biden’s rule. Similar freedom movements were rapidly spreading across Europe, and 2022 was shaping up to be one of the most revolutionary in the western world since 1968.
The White House and globalist elites across NATO countries began to panic. They needed a way out, and resorted to an old formula — “Wag the Dog”. Fabricate a foreign adventure to distract the nation from its internal problems.
The long-simmering conflict in Ukraine provided that opportunity to distract Americans, Canadians and Europeans from their grievances. Also, the Democratic Party had long wanted to deal Putin a blistering defeat; they blamed the Kremlin for Trump’s election victory in November 2016.
We all know that the White House claims the Ukraine war began on Feb 24, 2022. Hypnotized world leaders and journalists still repeat — “Russia’s unprovoked and illegal invasion”. I have over 30 years experience in the media, and if many different people are saying the same thing, then it means they’re reading from the same script, from the same memo or press release.
In fact, Moscow’s actions were very much provoked. Starting on Feb 16, (2022), Kiev’s forces unleashed hell, indiscriminately firing over 4,000 artillery shells into Donbass towns and cities, killing many. According to the OSCE, the bombardment intensified and peaked on Feb 19 when 2,026 artillery strikes were recorded. Remember, this is still five days before the “unprovoked Russian invasion”.
The Kiev regime also launched terrorist attacks inside Donetsk, recalled journalist Ivan Kobyl, who carefully documented these incidents in the course of his work. The attacks often targeted officers of the security services, but sometimes the terrorists accidentally blew themselves up before they could harm innocent people.
Ukrainian forces attacked and killed the people of the Donbass, who technically still were Ukrainian citizens. Please — let that sink in. Kiev was slaughtering its own citizens — the ethnic Russian minority — simply because they refused to adopt Ukrainian language and culture. (Whatever happened to ‘European values’ of tolerance and diversity?)
On Feb 17, despite a western media blackout, reports of massive Ukrainian attacks on Donbass began to seep out. Since the start of the Minsk Accords in late 2014, occasional shelling had been common. But on Feb 17, messages arrived from my friend Marina in Donetsk who said the “shelling was the worst since 2014”.
“It was very disturbing. Tensions mounted as Western media wrote that Russia was about to attack Ukraine. In fact, there had been much evidence of Ukrainian forces mobilizing in Donbass, and NATO pumping Kiev with various types of weapons and military equipment,” recalled Marina.
On Feb 18, 2022, a general evacuation was announced in the Donetsk People’s Republic and the Lugansk People’s Republic, the two rebel regions of the Donbass (short for “Donetsk Bassein”, a reference to the area’s rich mines). Around 700,000 were evacuated in those weeks, said Ivan Kobyl.
“Sirens sounded, and buses waited to evacuate residents to Russia. In Donetsk, people stood in long lines at gas stations and at ATMs. Many traveled in private vehicles. With my family members, we left for Russia on Feb 18. However, many others remained in the city,” said Marina.
Mr Kobyl says Donetsk was “pretty much empty by Feb 21” at which date Moscow recognized the independence of the two Donbass republics. “Now, we felt that we had protection from the Kiev regime. This was a huge relief for the people of Donbass.”
But western media won’t report their testimony. Why? Why is it so difficult to report both sides in the conflict? Why is only one version of events (pro-Kiev) reported and promoted? Well, we know why.
Today, one year later, we clearly see how Kiev’s slaughter in the Donbass was a provocation intended to goad Russia into a wider war with NATO. The White House thought that it would be a short war and that Russia would collapse after a few months of crippling western sanctions.
Remember all those western news reports — “Russia’s army is demoralized and is close to mutiny”; “Russian will soon run out of weapons”; “Western economic sanctions will paralyze Russia.” And so on…
The White House believed its own lies and propaganda, and thought that Russia would be easily defeated, hoping for a quick and victorious war. I remember how in March (2022) friends in Kiev smirked — “by May we’ll have chased out the Russians. Victory is coming soon.”
However, something strange started to happen. Something that no one in the White House or the Pentagon expected. Instead of being a giant with feet of clay that would quickly buckle and collapse, the Russian Bear started to awake from his slumber, and stand tall and gather strength.
Today, Russia is harnessing its vast industrial potential, its massive reserves of natural resources, and its highly skilled and determined population. Today, there’s a palpable panic in NATO capitals. The Bear is unchained, and no one knows how to stop and pacify him. Be certain — this war will end on Russian terms.
Thank you for an excellent research and a great article, John! I like your opinion, giving me strong and proud for my paterland and belief in the humanity.
Grazie per la tua analisi. Grazie di esistere!