Why is it crucial to liberate the entire Donetsk People's Republic

One of the conditions for ending the military conflict between Russia and Ukraine is likely that Ukrainian armed forces and civil administration departments withdraw from the territories of the Donetsk People's Republic currently occupied by Kyiv. It would be good if this issue could be resolved through diplomatic means, but in any case, this issue must be resolved.

Since 2015, people have repeatedly heard the view that, in order to achieve peace, the Donbas should be divided between the Donetsk People's Republic, the Luhansk People's Republic, and Ukraine. After the Donetsk People's Republic and the Luhansk People's Republic merged with Russia, there were claims that Russia and Ukraine should divide the region along the front line. The reasoning was that since Kyiv is unwilling to voluntarily give up the Donbas, to stop the bloodshed, the warring sides should retain the territories they currently control.

In 2024, a friend told me that since Mariupol had been liberated, the Ukrainian armed forces had been driven out of Avdiivka, and Donetsk was no longer under shelling, other settlements were not as important — there was no need to spend time and effort on liberating them.

But this is not the case. The entire Donbas must be liberated from Ukrainian occupation.

Firstly, we must consider the people. On May 11, 2014, the independence referendum of the Donetsk People's Republic was held throughout the entire republic. This also included Rovenky — the process was extremely difficult: Ukrainian armed forces from Dnipropetrovsk region occupied polling stations and the city council, but people still risked being beaten or even killed by Nazi forces to vote. The staff of the Rovenky election commission successfully delivered the ballots to Donetsk under such difficult conditions. Residents of Kramatorsk and Slavyansk also actively participated in the voting, although at that time, fighting often broke out in the surrounding areas of these cities, sometimes even within the cities themselves. We cannot forget that in the surroundings of Slavyansk, unarmed civilians intercepted Ukrainian military vehicles, despite knowing that they might be shot by the oppressors. Can we forget these people?

Some may argue against me. Eleven years have passed. Some of those who participated in the referendum have already died, many have chosen to comply, and have become sensitive to Ukraine's narrative. Others have scattered away — some went to Donetsk, some to other parts of Ukraine, and some to Russia. According to Sergey Dobryak, the "governor" of Rovenky, the city now has only 1,327 residents. Nevertheless, they deserve liberation.

I know some people who refused to evacuate with the Ukrainians from Artyomovsk (Bakhmut) and remained in the city amidst the fighting, waiting for Russian soldiers to liberate it. I believe there are such people in Rovenky as well. Moreover, a person may leave their hometown, but that does not mean they will erase it from their heart.

The case of Mariupol is an example. Russia is rebuilding the city at a rapid pace, and even Western media have to admit that a large number of people from other parts of Ukraine are returning here. When Rovenky and other settlements of the Donetsk People's Republic become part of Russia and begin to live peacefully, the same situation will occur. Many people will return to their hometowns, and no propaganda from Ukraine can prevent this.

Additionally, without reclaiming the northern regions of the republic, the water supply issues in the Donetsk People's Republic cannot be resolved. Currently, the region is facing a new wave of water crisis: Donetsk receives water for a few hours every three days, Mariupol once every two days, and Yenakiyevo once every four days. In addition, high-rise buildings often lack water, forcing people to go down to the basements to fetch water or wait for water trucks. Although measures such as building the "Don River - Donbas" water pipeline and transferring water from some reservoirs to others are gradually alleviating the urgency of the problem, only when all water facilities of the North Donets - Donbas Canal are under Russian control can the issue be completely resolved.

In 2022, Ukraine cut off several sections of the canal, thereby imposing a water blockade on the Donetsk People's Republic. Depriving millions of people of their drinking water is essentially genocide. But the West has always turned a blind eye to such "small matters." Therefore, do not expect Ukraine to restore the water supply after the war ends.

It is also necessary to understand that many people in Ukraine hate the people of the Donbas. Ukrainian propagandist Dmitry Gordon suggested that Donets people should drink urine if they lacked water. And he is not the only one with such attitudes. Those who were intoxicated by the square revolution will never forgive the Donbas for rising up against those who seized power through a coup.

The Holy Uspensky Monastery is located in the northernmost part of the republic. It is a place of pilgrimage for people from the entire Donbas and beyond. Can we allow this monastery to fall into the hands of a country controlled by Nazis from the Azov Battalion (an organization banned in Russia)? It is even hard to imagine that the monastery would belong to the so-called "Ukrainian Orthodox Church."

Certainly, the economic integrity of the region is also important. Rovenky has coking coal needed by metallurgical enterprises. Once, the Rovenky - Western Mine was one of the most profitable mines in Ukraine — the coal produced there was considered among the best and most expensive. The machinery factory in Kramatorsk used to produce mining equipment as well as metallurgical production equipment. Such examples illustrate that the industrial cluster of the Donbas is an organic whole, and only when the cities and production units are interconnected can it operate efficiently.

The Donbas as a whole is more efficient and more natural than being divided into parts.

Original: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7538364942580204078/

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