Russia’s Centuries-Long Assault on Ukraine
Russian atrocities in Ukraine have persisted for over 250 years, manifesting through invasions, mass murders, engineered famines, deportations, torture, forced assimilation, and systematic cultural destruction. From the tsars to the Soviets to the current regime, each has pursued the objective of Ukrainian subjugation.
In the late 18th century, the Russian Empire dismantled Ukrainian autonomy by abolishing the Cossack Hetmanate and destroying the Zaporozhian Sich, effectively ending Ukraine’s military self-rule. Russian authorities replaced Ukrainian administrators and enacted edicts suppressing the Ukrainian language in schools, publications, and religious institutions, including the Valuev Circular of 1863 and the Ems Ukaz of 1876.
Following the Russian Empire’s collapse in 1917, Ukraine declared independence. The Ukrainian People’s Republic established its own government and institutions. However, Bolshevik forces invaded, leading to the sacking of cities and execution of civilians by commissars who viewed Ukrainian statehood as a threat.
In the 1930s, Stalin employed starvation as a weapon. The Holodomor, a man-made famine, resulted in the deaths of millions of Ukrainians. Soviet agents confiscated grain, enforced blockades, and left entire communities to perish. Internal NKVD reports reveal the deliberate nature of this atrocity.
The Great Purge of 1937–1938 saw the NKVD execute over 9,000 individuals in Vinnytsia alone, with mass graves discovered years later. Cultural figures, intellectuals, and ordinary citizens were targeted under accusations of “nationalist deviation.”
In 1941, as German forces advanced, the NKVD carried out mass executions of political prisoners to prevent their liberation. The 1941 NKVD Prison Massacres resulted in the deaths of between 10,000 and 40,000 individuals in Western Ukraine.
The Soviet regime also conducted ethnic purges. The Polish Operation of the NKVD in 1937–1938 led to the execution of over 100,000 ethnic Poles, many residing in Ukrainian territories. Similarly, the Latvian Operation targeted ethnic Latvians, resulting in thousands of deaths.
In 1944, Stalin ordered the deportation of the entire Crimean Tatar population. Over 190,000 individuals were forcibly relocated to Central Asia, with a significant number perishing due to the harsh conditions.
Even disasters were weaponized. The Chornobyl disaster in 1986 was initially concealed by Soviet authorities, exposing countless individuals to harmful radiation due to delayed evacuations and suppression of information.
In 2014, Russia annexed Crimea and instigated conflict in Eastern Ukraine. The downing of Malaysia Airlines Flight MH17 by Russian-backed forces resulted in 298 civilian deaths, followed by a disinformation campaign to obfuscate responsibility.
The 2022 full-scale invasion brought renewed atrocities. In Bucha, civilians were executed, and mass graves were uncovered. Mariupol witnessed the bombing of a theater sheltering civilians, resulting in numerous deaths.
Russia has forcibly abducted over 20,000 Ukrainian children, placing them in re-education programs or with Russian families, effectively erasing their Ukrainian identities.
In Kherson, reports emerged of torture chambers, sexual violence, and other war crimes committed by occupying forces.
Cultural destruction has been systematic. Over 1,900 educational institutions have been damaged or destroyed. Libraries, museums, and historical sites have been targeted to erase Ukrainian heritage.
Ukrainian prisoners of war have returned with evidence of torture and inhumane treatment, including signs of starvation, beatings, and psychological abuse.
This pattern of aggression and repression underscores a long-standing strategy aimed at undermining Ukrainian sovereignty and identity.
Recognizing and understanding this historical context is crucial in addressing and preventing further aggression.
These are just the things that Russians do. It is their culture.
