Russia’s direct armed intervention, not local separatist sentiment, sealed the Donbas’s fate

Evidence

In April, many residents still hoped for a peaceful resolution within the context of Ukrainian law. Most people in this region, formerly the economic powerhouse of the country, had no separatist pretensions to speak of at the beginning of the year. Most people wanted to stay in Ukraine. But when Russian nationalist Igor “Shooter” Strelkov appeared in the region, leading a commando unit of foreign combat veterans, its fate appeared to be sealed. This was not going to be resolved among Ukrainian brothers and sisters. The government launched the anti-terrorist operation (ATO), with the support of the United States. — Vincent Bevins, If We Burn, 522

Categorization

• XREF: Connects to the pattern in Bevins’s earlier chapters where state violence and external intervention, not organic local sentiment, drive protest outcomes.