Putin continues amplifying denialism of Ukrainian sovereignty

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A good example of subtle methods Russian propaganda pushes the idea of "indivisibility of Russians" and denies presence of Ukrainian ethnos. A journalist asks a question about possibility of future reconciliation with Ukrainians, but uses an unusual and convoluted term "Ukrainian part of the Russian people" whose only purpose is to reinforce the message that Ukrainians are an integral part of Russians. This concept origins in Putin's 2021 article On the Historical Unity of Russians and Ukrainians which claimed Belarus and Ukraine are in reality part of one big happy Russian family which, of course, should be ruled by the latter, who always like to play the "elder brother". Russian nationalists also claim "there's no separate Ukrainian language", which is probably why all people speaking Ukrainian in Russian TV are always dubbed or subtitled because otherwise nobody would understand them. But the conflict of course is not about language - it's much more about culture. Ukraine was built on the egalitarian culture of veche, popular assemblies where decisions were made by debate and consensus. Russian culture is based on authority and blind obedience. Putin's idea of "reconciliation" is therefore about physically exterminating the "debating" part of Ukrainians and repopulating their lands with obedient Russians, who will be then called "proper Ukrainians".

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