I'm not disputing there are Russian first language people in Donbass, and I think only Crimea had a smaller majority of voters who voted for independence from Russia, but there was not a political will for separation
from Ukraine [edit].
In the
1991 referendum on Ukrainian independence, 83.9% of voters in
Donetsk Oblast and 83.6% in
Luhansk Oblast supported independence from the
Soviet Union. Turnout was 76.7% in Donetsk Oblast and 80.7% in Luhansk Oblast.
[38] In October 1991, a congress of South-Eastern deputies from all levels of government took place in
Donetsk, where delegates demanded federalisation.
[27]
The region's economy deteriorated severely in the ensuing years. By 1993, industrial production had collapsed, and average wages had fallen by 80% since 1990. Donbas fell into crisis, with many accusing the new central government in
Kyiv of mismanagement and neglect. Donbas coal miners went on strike in 1993, causing a conflict that was described by historian Lewis Siegelbaum as "a struggle between the Donbas region and the rest of the country". One strike leader said that Donbas people had voted for independence because they wanted "power to be given to the localities, enterprises, cities", not because they wanted heavily centralised power moved from "Moscow to Kyiv".
[38]
This strike was followed by a 1994 consultative referendum on various constitutional questions in
Donetsk and
Luhansk oblasts, held concurrently with the
first parliamentary elections in independent Ukraine.
[39] These questions included whether Russian should be declared an official language of Ukraine, whether Russian should be the language of administration in Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts, whether Ukraine should federalise, and whether Ukraine should have closer ties with the
Commonwealth of Independent States.
[40]
Close to 90% of voters voted in favour of these propositions.
[41] None of them were adopted: Ukraine remained a
unitary state, Ukrainian was retained as the sole official language, and the Donbas gained no autonomy.
[37] Nevertheless, the Donbas strikers gained many economic concessions from
Kyiv, allowing for an alleviation of the economic crisis in the region.
[38]
Small strikes continued throughout the 1990s, though demands for autonomy faded. Some subsidies to Donbas heavy industries were eliminated, and many mines were closed by the Ukrainian government because of liberalising reforms pushed for by the
World Bank.
[38] Leonid Kuchma, who had won the
1994 presidential election with support from the Donbas and other areas in eastern Ukraine, was re-elected as
President of Ukraine in
1999.
[38] President Kuchma gave economic aid to the Donbas, using development money to gain political support in the region.
[38]
Power in the Donbas became concentrated in a regional political elite, known as
oligarchs, during the early 2000s. Privatisation of state industries led to rampant corruption. Regional historian Hiroaki Kuromiya described this elite as the "Donbas clan", a group of people that controlled economic and political power in the region.
[38] Prominent members of the "clan" included
Viktor Yanukovych and
Rinat Akhmetov. The formation of the oligarchy, combined with corruption, led to perceptions of the Donbas as "the least democratic and the most sinister region in Ukraine".
[38]
During the
2010 Ukrainian presidential election, most people in Donbas voted for
Viktor Yanukovych
A brief attempt at gaining autonomy by pro-Viktor Yanukovych politicians and officials was made in 2004 during the
Orange Revolution. The so-called
South-East Ukrainian Autonomous Republic was intended to consist out of nine
South-
Eastern regions of Ukraine. The project was initiated on 26 November 2004 by the
Luhansk Oblast Council, and was discontinued the next month by the
Donetsk Oblast Council. On November 28, 2004, in
Sievierodonetsk, the so-called
First All-Ukraine Congress Of People's Deputies And Local-Council's Deputies took place, organised by the supporters of
Viktor Yanukovych.
[42][43]
3,576 delegates from 16
oblasts of Ukraine,
Crimea and
Sevastopol took part in the congress, claiming to represent over 35 million citizens. Moscow Mayor
Yurii Luzhkov and an advisor from the Russian Embassy were present in the presidium. There were calls for the appointment of Viktor Yanukovych as
President of Ukraine or
Prime Minister, for declaring of martial law in Ukraine, dissolution of the
Verkhovna Rada, creation of self-defence forces, and for the creation of a federative
South-
Eastern state with its capital in
Kharkiv.
[42][43]
Donetsk Mayor
Oleksandr Lukyanchenko, however, stated that no one wanted autonomy, but rather sought to stop the
Orange Revolution demonstrations going on at the time in Kyiv and negotiate a compromise. After the
Orange Revolution's victory, some of the organisers of the congress were charged with "encroachment upon the territorial integrity and inviolability of Ukraine", but no convictions were made.
[44][45]
In other parts of Ukraine during the 2000s, the Donbas was often perceived as having a "thug culture", as being a "Soviet cesspool", and as "backward". Writing in the
Narodne slovo newspaper in 2005, commentator Viktor Tkachenko said that the Donbas was home to "
fifth columns", and that speaking Ukrainian in the region was "not safe for one's health and life".
[46] It was also portrayed as being home to pro-Russian separatism. The Donbas is home to a significantly higher number of cities and villages that were named after
Communist figures compared to the rest of Ukraine.
[47] Despite this portrayal, surveys taken across that decade and during the 1990s showed strong support for remaining within Ukraine and insignificant support for separatism.
[48]
Explain this one to me…. Putin claims he wants to “DeNazify” Ukraine, even though the president of Ukraine is Jewish. https://www.timesofisrael.com/in-attacking-ukraine-putin-calls-for-denazification-of-country-with-jewish-leader/ And still no noise from the right on here. Today Putin said...
www.usmessageboard.com
But regardless, this war and murder of civilians is led by Putin. And I don't believe for an instant he wants a political solution that would end in a pro-Western govt in Kiev. So, there's not point in even discussing whether some combination of autonomy for Donbas (and Crimea) coupled with a demilitarization of Ukraine, and allowing Crimea to pursue whatever economic path it chose.
www.timesofisrael.com
