The youth of Donbas rejoice in the "Russian peace" and are thankful that they were freed from the "Ukrainian Nazis". Such statements have been heard from Russian propagandists since 2014.
In the Tribun article, read how young people from Luhansk fought for Ukraine from the first days of the war.
The youth of Luhansk — for a united Ukraine
There is an opinion that the majority of the population of Luhansk and the oblast was pro-Russian even before the war because of its territorial location. A large percentage of people spoke Russian, went on vacation to Sochi and went by the Luhansk-Moscow train to earn money. At the same time, it was influenced by pro-Russian government officials and propaganda that constantly emphasized the "second-rate" nature of the Ukrainian nation.
However, in 2014, young Ukrainians, students of Luhansk National University named after Taras Shevchenko, went to a protest for a united country.
So, on April 17, 2014, the activists of the educational institution came out to support Ukraine. They were joined by teachers and other peaceful residents of Luhansk. It was one of the last mass pro-Ukrainian protests in the city. It is about 600 meters from the territory of LNU to the building of the Security Service of Ukraine, captured by armed militants.
Tribun spoke with Oksana (name changed — ed.), a participant of the event, who spoke about the events in Luhansk and the mood among young people.
"At that time, I was a first-year student of the Faculty of Philology. In general, I want to say that even before the start of hostilities, I did not notice any kind of "unification" among the youth. At the university, we mostly communicated in Ukrainian, read Ukrainian books. But, probably, it is because of our specialization. So, when the activists offered to take part in a peaceful protest to support Ukraine, no extra questions arose. There were a few students who didn't come, speechless. Most of the students of the Faculty of Philology took part in the event. We drew posters, invented slogans. The action took place peacefully, without excesses," said the former student of LNU named after Taras Shevchenko.
Oksana emphasizes that at that moment both she and her teammates simply could not do otherwise:
"We could not do otherwise, because we really love our Motherland and have always loved it. This has been instilled since childhood. For example, I went to study at the Faculty of Ukrainian Philology, because I considered it a prestigious specialty. Ever since school, I admired our language and aspired to study it perfectly."
The girl says that perhaps youthful maximalism has taken its toll.
Then somehow there was neither worry nor fear at all. Either because of our young age or because we did not know what war was. They did everything with enthusiasm and did not even think that there were real terrorists half a kilometer away from us.
Years passed, part of Luhansk oblast was already occupied.
What happened in the settlements controlled by Ukraine?
Russian propaganda continued to "brainwash" and influence people. Later, in 2017, a law was passed to block Russian social networks such as Vkontakte and Odnoklassniki.
"Be that as it may, it was the right decision. At first, of course, we were indignant because we got used to these networks. But now we see that the ban benefited our country," shared our interlocutor.
So, gradually, the points of influence became fewer and fewer. Over time, more attention was paid to patriotism in the controlled territories. Ukrainian songs began to be heard more and more often in recreation facilities, people began to wear embroidered shirts( (and, for the most part, not because they were forced to, but because it is really beautiful and stylish). People heard pro-Ukrainian sentiments from representatives of the government, educational institutions, farmers, and entrepreneurs, and this had a positive effect on them.
In addition, people noticed that even some village or town under the control of Ukraine lives better than occupied Luhansk.
At that time, many young residents of temporarily occupied territories were able to cross the demarcation line and enter Ukrainian educational institutions.
There are many residents of Luhansk Oblast among the defenders of Ukraine
Recently, the State Emergency Service, the National Police, the Patrol Police, the State Border Service and other special services have been replenished with fighters from the Luhansk oblast. The management often announced vacancies and there were enough applicants.
With the beginning of the full-scale invasion of the Russian Federation into Ukraine, many residents of Luhansk went to the front as volunteers in the Armed Forces or the National Guard. Therefore, our compatriots, in particular, protect the peace of Ukrainians.
One of the Ukrainian soldiers from Kadiivka with the call sign "Східний" wrote on Twitter:
Many have already discussed the topic “they won’t meet us like that in the Donbass” a hundred times. For me, it is not an indicator of how many local people will come out with the flags of Ukraine. I just know how many local people will go there with Ukrainian flags. Will go home.
This expression has spread widely in social networks, because it resonates with many Ukrainians who were forced to leave their native homes. They look forward to returning home and do everything possible for this.
