Russian President Vladmir Putin has signed a decree to officially recognise the Luhansk People’s Republic (LPR) and the Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR) – two territories in eastern Ukraine – as independent, as the crisis in Eastern Europe develops by the minute.
In a televised address on Monday that aired on Russian state media, President Putin said that, “Those who took the path of violence, bloodshed and lawlessness did not recognize and don’t recognize any other solution to the Donbas problem besides the military.” He added, “Therefore, I believe it is necessary to take a long overdue decision to immediately recognize the independence and sovereignty of the Donetsk People’s Republic and Luhansk People’s Republic.”
The Russian leader signed a decree with LPR and DPR’s leaders in attendance, which acknowledged the independence of the two states.
In his speech, he also maintained that Ukraine was crucial to Russian history as the eastern region was part of the country’s ancient territory.
The Ukrainian region under question, the Donbas, comprises of two provinces Luhansk and Donetsk, with about half of each controlled by separatists since the revolution in Kyiv in 2014. The pro-Russian separatists have been armed by and the region has been controlled by Russia since then.
Russia had so far, however, maintained them as part of Ukraine to have a region that could provide support against Ukraine’s move to join the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) – something Moscow has long resisted.
The announcement from Moscow came the same day the media reported that Russia would possibly move to recognize the independence of the separatist states of Ukraine. The move was deemed in the international media as groundwork by Russia to intervene and invade its neighbouring country.
Multiple media outlets had also reported that the decision would possibly jeopardize the peace process between the West and Russia after US President Joe Biden earlier on Monday agreed to a summit “in principle” with President Putin, which would be mediated by France – if Moscow did not attack Ukraine.
Ukraine, meanwhile, has said that it would counter Russia’s decision if it moved to recognise the separatist elements as independent. The democratic state that has long enjoyed western support said that Russia’s acknowledgment of LPR and DPR would be tantamount to violating the Minsk agreement, which was signed in 2014 and was aimed at putting an end to the conflict between the Ukrainian army and separatists in the eastern region of the country.
