How eastern Ukraine's opposition went from 'protesters' to 'rebels' in a single month

GlobalPost

Armed gunmen wearing military fatigues burst into the office of Roman Lazorenko in the eastern Ukrainian city of Donetsk recently. They had a simple request for the local journalist.

The men said they didn't want to be called separatists anymore, Lazorenko told the Guardian. They demanded that journalists instead refer to them as “supporters of federalization."

The gunmen — whether they were pro-Russian separatists, activists, militants or "supporters of federalization" — understood the importance of language in a conflict.

"Words are weapons, as much as any gun or bomb," Judith Matloff, a foreign correspondent who teaches conflict reporting at Columbia University's Graduate School of Journalism, wrote in 2012.

In just a month, journalists and analysts have gone from calling those in eastern Ukraine demanding closer relations with Russia — if not outright annexation — protesters and activists to insurgents and rebels.

In some cases, the terminology shifted to accommodate the changing realities on the ground as the pro-Russian crowd expanded to include everyone from discontented babushkas to armed and trained gunmen carrying heavy weaponry.

"Protester sounds very benign, doesn't it?" Matloff, formerly the Moscow bureau chief at The Christian Science Monitor, told GlobalPost. "A protester might throw a rock. They create havoc in the streets, or they break windows."

More from GlobalPost: Masked gunmen take another government building in eastern Ukraine

"Once people start picking up arms and putting on masks and camouflage — they're not mere protesters. That's someone who's armed and rising up against established authority. One could argue that armed men running around eastern Ukraine taking over buildings and shooting a mayor is a form of insurgency."

Senior Correspondent Dan Peleschuk found while reporting in the eastern Ukrainian city of Slovyansk that babushkas were also not fans of the term "separatists."

"Of course, the terminology affects how people look at things," Matloff said. "The word separatist can make readers sympathize, in some cases. For certain readers, there might have been something romantic about a separatist wanting their own homeland. Others may see it as very threatening, as someone trying to overthrow or breakaway from the status quo."

Here's a look at how, in a very short time, the language used to describe the conflict in Ukraine has evolved in the Western press:

PROTESTER

(noun derivative of protest) A solemn declaration of opinion and usually of dissent; the act of objecting or a gesture of disapproval; especially: a usually organized public demonstration of disapproval

From April 3, 2014:

“Donetsk was roiling with fear and violence as he took over. Russian television propaganda persuaded many here that fascists from western Ukraine were on the way to rampage through the east. Suddenly protesters in the city of Donetsk were shouting under the Lenin statue for a referendum that would allow them to join Russia.”

ACTIVIST

(noun derivative of activism) A doctrine or practice that emphasizes direct vigorous action especially in support of or opposition to one side of a controversial issue

From April 7, 2014:

“Pro-Russia activists occupying a regional government building in Donetsk, in eastern Ukraine, on Monday proclaimed the creation of a separatist Donetsk republic, a Reuters witness said.

"One of the leaders of about 100 activists, who moved into the building on Sunday night, called for a referendum to be held no later than May 11 on the establishment of the ‘Donetsk people's republic.’”

SEPARATIST

A member of a group of people who want to form a new country, religion, etc., that is separate from the one they are in now

From April 21, 2014:

“Meanwhile, Russian separatists in eastern Ukraine did not agree to the Geneva Statement, and in defiance of the international deal, have dug in their heels. But they have not seized any new buildings or infrastructure sites since the deal was signed.

"However, in Donetsk and other cities, they have refused to leave the buildings they do occupy or to lay down their arms.”

MILITANT

Having or showing a desire or willingness to use strong, extreme, and sometimes forceful methods to achieve something

From April 13, 2014:

“Ukraine's president says a full-scale operation involving the army will be launched in the east after pro-Russian militants seized government buildings.”

INSURGENT

A person who fights against an established government or authority

From April 23, 2014:

“Pro-Russia insurgents who have been occupying police stations and other public buildings in eastern Ukraine for more than a week are defying the accords that Russia and Ukraine signed last week that urged all parties in Ukraine to lay down their arms and vacate the public offices.”

REBEL

(noun derivative of to rebel) Opposing or taking arms against a government or ruler.

From April 27, 2014:

“Pro-Russia rebels in eastern Ukraine raised the stakes in their conflict with Kiev on Sunday by parading Western military observers as hostages and showing images of three bloodied Ukrainian intelligence officers the militants separately said they had detained.”

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