German historian: Occupation of Ukraine means genocide, not peace

Franziska Davies, Associate Professor at the Department of Eastern and Central Eastern European History at the Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich, said this in an interview with Ukrinform.

"First of all, we are dealing with a Russia that does not want peace. And none of those who have made such demands in recent years has ever been able to explain, in factual terms, how exactly this peace is supposed to be achieved. These were empty formulations, clichés that have little to do with reality. What is Ukraine supposed to negotiate about if it is simultaneously being sought to be destroyed? What would be the basis of such negotiations?" Davies said.

According to her, occupation cannot be considered peace. "Occupation does not mean peace. Occupation in Ukraine means genocide of Ukrainians. This is not peace."

German society struggles to understand this due to a lack of its own historical experience of living under occupation.

"During the Second World War, Germans practically had no experience of living under occupation themselves. They were occupiers, but they did not experience what it means to live under a genocidal occupation regime," the historian explained.

In contrast, countries such as Poland and Ukraine have this experience. "We know from research that in many of these countries during the Second World War, more people died under occupation than directly in combat. So the idea that the end of hostilities also means the end of deaths is wrong," Davies said.

The researcher stressed that today in Ukraine it is not only about the loss of freedom, but also about a threat to life and physical integrity.

"And one more point: Russia considers itself to be at war with all of Europe, including Germany. Therefore, Ukraine is defending not only itself, but also European security. And this should be explained to people. I often try to say: 'It is also about you – and about your children,'" she added.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky stated during a meeting in Yerevan with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer that Ukraine was ready for the next round of negotiations in a trilateral format.

Meanwhile, Russian presidential aide Yury Ushakov said that continuing trilateral negotiations was not appropriate until Ukraine withdrew troops from the part of Donbas it controls.

Photo from the archive of Franziska Davies