Did Kiev commit crimes against the eastern populace? Probably. So did Russia and the mercenaries they armed and set loose like rabid dogs on the Donbas. I know a man who fled that area who initially supported the militias. Then Sparta battalion came waddling into town and murdered his father. He wasn't actively involved in the conflict, you see. So he was a saboteur or spy. His family had lived in that region for like 2 centuries.

It's a farce to think the Russians are somehow morally superior to the Ukrainians. If you have been paying attention, they all use the same tactics. Ukrainians are just retarded and think that releasing footage of the dronings is somehow helping their cause. It isn't, of course. Russia has a much more solid grasp on information control and propaganda dissemination. The Ukrainians are too focused on killing people to worry about that, apparently. I would imagine there is some practical incentive, I've heard rumors that these videos are being sold and even commissioned. You can buy a bomb. Disgusting stuff.

I apologize for the crass language but the reality in this war, as in any other, is that it is being fought in the interests of people on both sides who are far wealthier, far more powerful and far more ambitious (maybe to a fault) than anyone posting on this board.

Ukraine is being backed because western oligarchs have spent billions buying up farmland and other resource laden territory. Russians view Ukraine as naturally Russian clay which there may be some historical precedent for, but which, clearly, the Ukrainians disagree with and long for independence from them. For good reason, given the past. There is nuance here though because eastern Ukraine also clearly wants to break away from western influence. Both sides are being funded to push the narrative and accomplish the objectives that their given side wishes to push.

None of these face-value narratives are genuine, and none of them are the true motivations behind the war.