Media, Journalism and Disaster Communities by Unknown

Author:Unknown
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9783030337124
Publisher: Springer International Publishing

Debates Over the Origins and Nature of the Conflict

Numerous attempts have been made to explain the roots, causes and triggers for the conflict from various perspectives including political, media and academic domains, the latter of specific interest for this chapter. Some scholars point to the decisive role of external aggression, while others focused on other factors, namely, the historical roots of the conflict, the role of identity, economic pressures, the peculiarities of political culture in the Donbas region and the contribution of local elites (e.g., Giuliano, 2015, 2018; Kudelia, 2017; Matveeva, 2016; Wilson, 2016). Identity cleavages and populism have provided a central focus for analysis. Researchers with an interest in Ukraine have long explored and debated regional diversity in the country and its impact on political processes (e.g., Kulyk, 2011; O’Loughlin, 2001; Osipian & Osipian, 2012; Riabchuk, 2015; Sasse, 2010; Shulman, 2005). The Donbas region has often been at the centre of such discussions and analysis for a number of reasons. As a densely populated region, it was one of the leading industrial centres in the Russian empire and Soviet Union (Wilson, 1995), which defined its strategic importance. According to the State Committee of Statistics of Ukraine (2018), about 6 million people still reside in Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts, despite recent population declines due to the conflict, and this still accounts for 14% of the total population of Ukraine. As a borderland region, Donbas has been populated by a significant number of ethnic Russians. Around 30% of those living in Donbas identify as ethnic Russian and 11% identify as both Russian and Ukrainian (Giuliano, 2018). At the same time, Donbas residents are commonly believed to also gravitate towards a ‘soviet-type’ of identity in cultural terms, rather than a ‘Russian’ one (Hrytsak, 1998; Wilson, 2016).

The collapse of the USSR precipitated a severe crisis in this industrial region. The 1990s were marked by ubiquitous poverty, increased levels of crime and the emergence of a new ‘business-industrial elite’—a group of people who capitalized on the privatization of previously state-owned assets. The trajectory of post-Soviet transformation in Donbas has shaped its political culture. Kudelia (2017), for instance, identifies a weak civil society, political inertia and a strong quest for paternalism among its defining features.

Such peculiarities of regional identity and political culture are manifested in certain political and geopolitical views and preferences, as well as voting patterns. For instance, Donbas has long leant towards closer ties with Russia rather than the West and has largely opposed applications for NATO membership. It is also notable that such allegiances have been instrumentalized by political forces, especially those originating from the region, such as the Party of Regions and its leader Viktor Yanukovych, which have emphasized Donbas’s exclusivity and opposed the ‘nationalist policies’ of political opponents (Kudelia, 2017). This has contributed to a stronger regional identity in Donbas.

Distorted coverage of the Euromaidan protests in both Russian and some Ukrainian media reinforced pre-existing divisions and helped to mobilize support for separatism. Additional support arguably stemmed from broader local concerns,

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