Considering the Donbas history, current actions look absurd, as the present East Ukraine never in its history was undeveloped or abandoned region, quite the opposite – Donbas, like other regions of Ukraine, is historically closely related to Europe. It would be understandable if the fanatic anti-Europe actions were taking place in some purely Russian regions, in Valday district or in some ancient Siberian villages, but when such thoughts occupy the minds of people living in the region which was practically settled and built by the emigrants from Western Europe, that is the real irony of history. Sadly, citizens of miners’ villages that are standing at the barricades erected from tires, logs and iron spikes are barely able to understand the scope of thins historical anecdote due to their lack of historical knowledge. They consider Donbas a soviet region, Russian territory, which must be saved from so much hated “Gay-rope”. But just a hundred years ago Donbas was practically a European enclave within the Russian Empire.

More facts, pictures and names here: http://golosukraine.blogspot.com/2014/05/blog-post_75.html