Donetsk

2022 - 2 - 21

Post cover — Image courtesy of "The Washington Post"

Why are Donetsk and Luhansk in Ukraine's Donbas region a flash ... (The Washington Post)

The region became even more critical Monday as Russian President Vladimir Putin recognized the independence of two Moscow-backed breakaway enclaves there ...

Donetsk and Luhansk: What to know about Ukraine's rebel regions (Aljazeera.com)

More than 14000 people have been killed in fighting between Ukraine's army and Moscow-backed separatists since 2014.

Kyiv and the separatists have each accused the other of breaches. The regions have been locked in armed conflict with Kyiv’s army since a Kremlin-backed armed uprising following Russia’s annexation of Crimea in 2014. Since then, more than 14,000 people have been killed in fighting between Ukraine’s army and the Moscow-supported separatists there.

What to know about Ukraine's separatist republics, Donetsk and ... (CBS News)

Putin recognized the independence of Moscow-backed rebel regions in eastern Ukraine, a move that will further inflame tensions with the West.

Russia, in turn, accused Ukraine of trying to reclaim the rebel-held territories by force, a claim that Kyiv strongly rejected. But the frozen conflict has drained Kyiv's resources and effectively stymied its goal of joining NATO — which is enshrined in the Ukrainian constitution. Two rounds of talks in Paris and Berlin between presidential envoys from Russia, Ukraine, France and Germany have yielded no progress. France and Germany brokered another peace agreement, which was signed in Minsk in February 2015 by representatives of Ukraine, Russia and the rebels. It also envisaged that Ukraine could only regain control over the roughly 125-mile border with Russia in rebel regions after they get self-rule and hold OSCE-monitored local elections — balloting that would almost certainly keep pro-Moscow rebels in power there. A declaration backing the deal was signed by the leaders of Russia, Ukraine, France and Germany.

Why Donetsk and Luhansk, in Donbas Region, Matter in Ukraine (The New York Times)

President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia has recognized the independence of two separatist regions in Ukraine, a move many fear may be the spark for a Russian ...

More than 13,000 people have died in fighting in the region since. Ukraine would likely interpret that as Russian troops entering Ukrainian territory. RUSSIA

Why has Putin got Ukraine's separatist regions of Donetsk and ... (Financial Times)

Russian president Vladimir Putin has recognised the independence of two Moscow-backed separatist regions in eastern Ukraine, a step that could greatly ...

Nato secretary-general Jens Stoltenberg said last week that recognition would represent “a blatant violation of Ukraine’s territorial integrity and sovereignty” and breach international law. It has given out passports and citizenship to about 800,000 of their citizens, Russian officials said on Monday, while stressing the need for the Kremlin to protect them. That would likely increase the risk of full conflict between Moscow and Kyiv along an already active front line. Ukraine has denied this and said Russia was trying to use the allegation — and renewed hostilities by its proxies — as a pretext for a renewed invasion. Ukraine and western countries have said there was evidence that Russia had been providing weapons and fighters to fuel the separatist war, which Moscow denies. Nato and the EU have warned that recognition of the breakaway regions would be a big escalation in the conflict between Moscow and Kyiv, while some European officials have called for it to be a trigger for a threatened sanctions package against Russia.

What to Know About the Donetsk and Luhansk Regions (Voice of America)

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday recognized the Russian-speaking regions of Donetsk and Luhansk in eastern Ukraine as independent states, ...

Russia has since stationed troops in those regions and offered Russian citizenship to their populations. On Monday, Putin announced the independence of the regions after meeting with the Russian Security Council. His announcement followed a video appeal by the regions' separatist leaders for the recognition of independence. After separatists in the Donetsk and Luhansk regions took power in 2014, they held a vote to declare independence. Each of the regions has its own self-proclaimed president. Since 2014, more than 14,000 people have been killed in fighting in the Donbas region between pro-Russian separatists and Ukrainian forces. Moscow has in recent years issued more than 720,000 Russian passports to roughly one-fifth of the region's population, according to The Associated Press.