[aguaviva]

The Donbas is populated mainly by Russian people

False. The regions in question identified as Ukrainian, and by a solid majority (55-45) in the most recent census. Yes -- even Russian speakers identified as "Ukrainian" when given the choice. And just because 45 percent identified as "Russian", for most this was a matter of linguistic identification, nothing more. It doesn't mean they were irredentist, or actually wanted to live in Putin's Russia.

Who had been in a civil war

False. In no sense was the 2014 conflict ever a "civil war". It was led, orchestrated, and fought by Russian nationals from the very start. This is openly acknowledged by Russian sources, including the very people who organized the initial skirmishes, and there's really no controversy about it.

2014 Maidan coup

There was no "coup" either, and these factual inversions are starting to get very tedious to correct.

But for those interested in more detail: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=40481317

They wanted to join the Russian Federation for years

Not "they" as in a majority, or even a near-majority. Some did, but the Novorossiya movement as such was quite small pre-2014.

You found zero evidence that Russia wants to expand its borders.

Putin has already openly expressed his wish to annex the currently occupied territories (and then some) into the RF.

[kornhole]

Yes I should have stated more clearly that most of the people in the Donbas were either ethnic Russian or Russian speaking. Regardless of that, the majority wanted to join the RF. https://nationalfile.com/donbas-region-overwhelmingly-votes-...

2014 may not have looked like a coup from the media and is difficult to prove as one. Too much US state department involvement makes it look like one if you did deeper. Countless analyses by others with inside knowledge believe it was in the style of a color revolution. Too many sources to list here.

[aguaviva]

(1) Do you actually trust information posted on websites run by Alex Jones?

(2) The "referendum" you're referring to has been widely denounced as a sham by many international organizations (such as the UN and OSCE), and nearly every government on the planet for that matter, except for North Korea. Even close Russian allies such as Hungary and Serbia refused to recognize the results.

Are these facts of no concern to you -- or do you simply prefer to take the occupying power's word on the matter?

[kornhole]

1. This is not run by Alex Jones, but to answer your question, I trust very little. Alex Jones is more trustworthy than most mainstream media. He voices much opinion and speculation, but he and his crew do not lie to manipulate us into war.

2. International observers oversaw the election and determined the elections to be free and fair. You are free to deny election results, but you should provide some kind of evidence to back your claims that it was unfair in some way.

[aguaviva]

Re: Alex Jones -- so he created the site, but lets other people run it now. Either way, it's his baby.

He voices much opinion and speculation, but he and his crew do not lie to manipulate us into war.

Instead they lie and manipulate us (some of us, anyway) into accepting Putin's narratives as to how the war started, and into an eventual settlement favorable to his demands. And into believing that nearly everyone in the occupied regions happily voted to be reabsorbed into the Motherland. In an election that was of course free and fair, and overseen by international "observers".

International observers oversaw the election and determined the elections to be free and fair.

Not from any major organizations that usually see to these things, such as the OSCE or the Council of Europe.

Instead -- it's not surprising that the sham referendum also had sham "observers". Here's a report from one who deeply regrets having taken part, saying he felt used by the Russians, and that "I was so naive as to think I could separate the technical aspects of vote counting from the political dimensions of the situation":

https://www.tagesspiegel.de/politik/deutscher-beobachtete-sc...

You are free to deny election results, but you should provide some kind of evidence to back your claims that it was unfair in some way.

So what is your explanation as to why no government on the planet, besides North Korea, has stepped forward the recognize the results of these so-called "referendums"?

[kornhole]

I provided only one article about the elections there, but it is well documented from many sources. https://yandex.com/search/?text=donbas+elections+joining+rus... The results were overwhelmingly in support of joining RF. The ease with which the Russians annexed the region is also evidence of how welcomed they were. Every election everywhere has challenges. Other than minor complaints, there is no evidence of significant election tampering.