have just returned from a fact-finding mission to the Donbas region. For the past six years, Russian operatives have taken control of the region and created a living hell for Ukrainians there. More than 14,000 people have died as a result of the Russian occupation, and more are killed every day. The place is now described as “gray,” just like the old Soviet Union (the main city in the region is now called the People’s Republic of Donetsk), with everyone afraid that they will be purged next.

While traveling through this province, I met and talked to people who are in utter despair. One even said, “Everything is gray, except for the blood.” While the world worries about whether Russia will invade Ukraine, the real objective — Donbas — goes unnoticed.

Donbas is miserable. The freezing, starving, critically ill and war-torn wounded wander the streets, just trying to feed themselves. The money given by a few governments rarely gets to the shelters, hospitals or aid institutions. Maybe as much as $750 million has been stolen while the people suffer.

That said, the current standoff being played out with Russia might actually create an opportunity for Ukraine to act.

The solution is to demand that Russian forces leave Donbas and return the region to Ukraine. It is theirs, after all. Diplomats should use this standoff to create leverage for Donbas and the Ukrainian government. Ukraine should use its power to take control of Donbas.

With the world backing it diplomatically, Ukraine could see that through. Russia has not massed an army to invade, but to keep Ukraine from moving back into Donbas. So, call out Putin at his own game, and win back sovereignty for the citizens living there.

Now is the perfect time for Ukraine to turn the tables on the Russians. The president of Ukraine needs to reveal the real issue here: Donbas. The United States and the European Union need to demonstrate and clearly outline their support for Ukraine’s right to recover its own territory. And they, along with the rest of the world, must demand immediate and lasting diplomatic resolution.

Putin’s demands are misplaced. It’s time for Ukraine to demand the entirety of its country back, for the world to back it up and for the killing and misery to stop.

https://ca.yahoo.com/news/everything-gray-except-blood-russia-213851156.html