Putin's war against Ukrainian culture is not new

‘It’s not safe to admit you’re Ukrainian’​

Putin has been waging a war against everything Ukrainian since at least the early 2010s. His goal has always been the eradication of Ukrainian identity.

Putin was a Lt. Colonel in the KGB, served 16 years.

“When people show you who they are, believe them the first time.” — Maya Angelou

joluoto said:

‘It’s not safe to admit you’re Ukrainian’​

Putin has been waging a war against everything Ukrainian since at least the early 2010s. His goal has always been the eradication of Ukrainian identity.

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.... which, by definition, is genocide. This has been obvious from the start, essentially rendering any arguments about his pretext for the invasion of Ukraine being to rescue "ethnic Russians" as just so much bullshit. Because in Putin's mind, Ukrainians are all "ethnic Russians"!

The eradication of the Ukrainian identity began in earnest under Stalin.

Rogue Valley said:

The eradication of the Ukrainian identity began in earnest under Stalin.

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Yes, but then after Stalin's death it wasn't really going hard for some time. Kruschev had a somewhat positive view of Ukrainians, despite having been in charge of some of Stalin's purges there. The nationality question during the Cold War was kind of frozen, there were no attempts to really make the situation better, but the active purges of people because of their nationality stopped, did pop up a few times, but nothing like the Stalin era. So while Stalin for sure wanted to eradicate the Ukrainian identity (through genocide), the post Stalin leaders did not really care. That's the best way to describe it. So the hostility towards the Ukrainian identity made a return under Putin.