Causes of the conflict-defending people of declared rep

• shortly after the 2022 invasion Putin said his aim was to de natify the ethnic Russians from genocide
• For example in 2014 there was ongoing fighting in the Donbas area between Ukrainian forces and Russian backed separatist groups
• For example it can be said that Russia can be blamed for provoking the ukrainian government in fighting a proxy war and by funding and arming the separatists