Contextualising the war in Ukraine
Part Seven
15 June 2022
In the seventh instalment of our series on the contextually-linked topics of the war in Ukraine, we explore Donbas before the war, the Adygheans - also known as the Circassians - and the Prague Spring, leading to the Soviet invasion of Czechoslovakia.
You can find the first five instalments in our Newsroom, where you can also sign up to have future stories delivered straight to your inbox.
Donbas before the war
Donbas, in full Donets Basin, is a historical, cultural, and economic region in south-eastern Ukraine. The economy there is dominated by heavy industry, such as coal mining and metallurgy. The attitudes and preferences of people living there remain poorly understood or largely ignored by governments in both Moscow and Kyiv.
Read more here
The Adygheans, or Circassians
The Adygheans, or Circassians, are an indigenous ethnic group native to the historical country-region of Circassia in the North Caucasus.
As a consequence of the Circassian genocide, perpetrated by the Russian Empire in the 19th century during the Russo-Circassian War, most Circassians were exiled from their homeland to modern-day Turkey and the rest of the Middle East, where the majority of them live today.
Read more here
The Prague Spring
The Prague Spring reforms were an attempt by Alexander Dubček to grant additional rights to the citizens of Czechoslovakia and included a loosening of restrictions on the media, speech and travel. The Soviets did not approve and, fearing the potential loss of a Cold War ally, invaded Czechoslovakia.
Read more here
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