A new Russia that is not Russian

Russian propaganda has tried to offer as justification for the war the protection of an alleged »Russian population« in the occupied areas of Ukraine. Historical and contemporary data provide a different picture, however. In almost all the so-called »new territories« – also labelled »Novorossiya« by the Kremlin – ethnic Ukrainians have always made up the majority. Even in regions in which the Russian language was dominant the population identified overwhelmingly as Ukrainian. In fact, there has never been an ethnic Russian and Russian speaking »Novorossiya«. The war has inflicted widespread destruction on these areas, as well as massive depopulation and a dramatic fall in birth rates. Whole cities have been depopulated or devastated. Demographic developments indicate that these regions are not undergoing reconstruction, but rather are in an accelerated state of decline as a result of the occupation policy.