“Now We Have Funeral after Funeral”

This chapter provides a foundation for understanding the outbreak of hostilities and the humanitarian needs that resulted from the Donbas conflict. It contends that multiple gaps in the protection of civilians led to massive forced displacement and amounted to politics of neglect and death. The ethics of care that arose in this landscape are especially significant against the background of forced migration and state neglect. The chapter supplies a foundation for understanding what happened next in the lives of civilians, highlighting the region's history, culture, politics, and the military conflict itself. It shows Donbas's political economy and the linguistic issues that were confronting Ukraine at the time.