Fact check: I doubt that the people living in Donetsk and Luhansk today feel very Ukrainian sentiment at this point. They must be so brainwashed that they feel Russian by now. So peaceful reunification is not something on the cards for now. And continuing to fight to conquer these territories is a waste of human lives and useless resources. Failing that, Ukraine would have to reinforce and redefine its new borders, and Don't get push more back, and establish a new retaining wall.

1. Summary of the results

1. Summary of the results:

The evidence directly contradicts the assumption that residents of Donetsk and Luhansk uniformly feel Russian. A 2019 survey showed that 55% of people in separatist-held areas preferred to be part of Ukraine, with diverse identity breakdowns: 21% identifying as both Russian and Ukrainian, 13% as Ukrainian citizens, and 12% as ethnic Russian. While Russia has implemented systematic Russification efforts, including deportation of children and destruction of cultural heritage, Ukrainian cultural identity has shown resilience.

2. Missing context/alternative viewpoints:

The original statement overlooks crucial factors:

• Economic realities are driving people's decisions to stay, not political loyalty: lack of jobs, limited funds for relocation, and family responsibilities
• The territories are experiencing severe infrastructure breakdown and economic isolation, with 41% of the population over 65
• The Russian Orthodox Church and Kremlin-appointed officials are actively involved in forced cultural transformation, particularly targeting children through "military-patriotic" events and baptisms
• There's ongoing international documentation of cultural crimes and efforts to preserve Ukrainian heritage

3. Potential misinformation/bias in the original statement:

The statement contains several problematic assumptions:

• It falsely equates living under occupation with being "brainwashed," ignoring survey data showing majority pro-Ukrainian sentiment
• It presents a false binary between Russian and Ukrainian identity, when many residents maintain complex, mixed identities
• It overlooks the role of economic and practical factors in people's decisions to remain in these territories
• The term "peaceful reunification" mischaracterizes the situation by ignoring the documented forced cultural transformation efforts by Russian authorities

The statement benefits those pushing for territorial concessions by presenting the situation as more hopeless than data suggests, while ignoring the documented war crimes and human rights violations occurring in these regions.