Donetsk & Lugansk 2014 Referendums: Language Law, Heroes, and Independence | Christelle Néant

Donate: 🙏 https://www.buymeacoffee.com/slobodnipoI After Yanukovych was removed, Néant says one of the first moves was to roll back the regional status of the Russian language and to elevate WWII-era nationalist collaborators as “heroes.” She argues these moves accelerated separatist sentiment in Donetsk and Lugansk, leading to 2014 referendums where (she claims) over 90% voted for independence. This segment is her timeline for how the “internal” conflict hardened before 2022. Full episode: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLJTy3oXCzHShsVuJ-zfiGnx96nuR-BNWB WEB: https://slobodnipodcast.hr/2025/02/09/slobodni-podcast-103-christelle-neant-rusko-ukrajinski-rat-prica-sa-lica-mjesta/