Скачать или смотреть Donetsk residents play down threat of looming war

(16 Feb 2022) Many in Ukraine's breakaway region of Donbass say that they were not surprised on Wednesday morning that a Russian invasion of Ukraine had not occured—an event speculated on in the West.
"The morning has passed and there is no war. And I don't think it will ever happen," Donetsk resident Anastasia told the Associated Press.
The sentiment is largely echoed by locals in the capital of the breakaway Ukrainian region—supported by Russia since 2014 when seperatists seized control of the region—many of whom dismiss the possibility of a looming Russian invasion as nonsense.
"It's just stupid, really," said local resident Viktor.
"Who will go fight—us or them? They are the same people as you or me," he added.
Russia said Wednesday it was returning some troops and weapons to bases, yet another gesture apparently aimed at easing fears it is planning to invade Ukraine, even as the U.S. said the threat of an attack remained.
For local resident Oleg, the possibility of war is evident, but he said he thinks the situation has changed since 2014 and people in the Donbass are nowhere near as anxious.
"Everyone understands that such a thing (war) could happen, but we can't have everyone raising panic and buying out the shelves of stores like in 2014," he said.
In 2014, Russia seized the Crimean peninsula from Ukraine and began supporting rebels in the eastern Ukrainian region known as the Donbass in a conflict that has killed over 14,000 people.

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