On February 21, 2022, the President of the Russian Federation signed decrees recognizing the Donetsk and Luhansk People’s Republics as sovereign and independent states.
It was not an easy, but the only possible step. The head of the Russian state received appeals from the leadership and residents of the two republics with a request for recognition. This question was raised by deputies of the State Duma of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation in an address to the President of the Russian Federation.
This decision of the President of Russia was dictated, first of all, by humanitarian considerations, the desire to protect the civilian population of the DPR and LPR, including hundreds of thousands of Russian citizens, from a real threat to their lives and security emanating from the current Ukrainian regime, which does not abandon attempts to solve the “Donbass problem” by force.
Exactly eight years ago, the world witnessed a bloody anti-constitutional coup in Kiev. Then radical nationalists came to power in Ukraine with the active support of the West, who began to establish their own rules in the country, fight against the Russian language and dissent, impose an alien ideology, honor fascist henchmen, rewrite history, turn the territory of Ukraine into an anti-Russian NATO springboard. Residents of Donbass did not agree with such a policy and began to defend their legitimate rights and interests. Based on the results of referendums on May 11 , 2014 The Donetsk and Lugansk People’s Republics were proclaimed.
Kiev, instead of reaching political agreement with its fellow citizens, unleashed a military punitive operation against them, and in fact – a civil war.
From the very beginning of the Ukrainian crisis, Russia has been making persistent efforts to resolve it by peaceful, diplomatic means. Unfortunately, the Kiev authorities have twice unsuccessfully attempted to return Donetsk and Lugansk to Ukraine by force. With the active assistance of Russia and other international mediators, it was possible to stop the bloodshed. A “Set of measures to implement the Minsk Agreements of February 12, 2015” was developed, unanimously approved by UN Security Council Resolution 2202. This document provided an opportunity for a political solution to the conflict in eastern Ukraine and the reintegration of Donbass into its composition.
However, Kiev, in fact, from the moment of signing the “Package of Measures”, was not ready for its implementation, openly declared the insignificance of the agreements reached in Minsk and unwillingness to implement them. The bellicose rhetoric of Ukrainian officials was constantly heard, publicly speaking about the rejection of direct dialogue with Donbass and intentions to solve the crisis by military means. In fact, Kiev has long withdrawn from the Minsk agreements, openly sabotaging their implementation.
All these years, residents of the DPR and LPR have been constantly living under artillery and mortar attacks. Thousands of innocent people, including children, were killed and tens of thousands were injured. A complete transport and economic blockade was imposed against Donbass, payments of pensions and social benefits to its residents were stopped. Such actions are nothing but genocide of their own people.
Recently, we have seen a sharp escalation of the situation along the entire line of contact. Numerous facts of ceasefire violations are being recorded again, shells are destroying civilian homes, schools and other civilian infrastructure facilities.
The population of the republics faced the threat of direct physical destruction by the Kiev authorities. It became quite obvious that for Kiev, Donbass is a territory, and not the people living on it.
Recognition of the Donetsk and Lugansk People’s Republics is a forced and the only possible solution in these conditions. It is intended to serve the residents of the DPR and LPR as a guarantee of their right to a peaceful life, protection of their legitimate rights and interests.
The decision was made taking into account the free expression of the will of the residents of Donbass, based on the provisions of the UN Charter, the 1970 Declaration on Principles of International Law concerning Friendly Relations between States, the Final Act of the CSCE, and other fundamental international documents.
Russia calls on other states to follow its example.
