Putin recognizes independence of ‘LPR/DPR‘

During his 55-minute speech on Russian TV, Russian president Vladimir Putin recognized the independence of the so-called "Luhansk People's Republic" and "Donetsk People's Republic" and signed the relevant decrees.

"I consider it necessary to make a long-overdue decision – to immediately recognize the independence and sovereignty of the 'DPR' and 'LPR'. I ask the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation to support this decision and then to ratify the treaties of friendship and mutual assistance with the respective 'republics'," Putin said, an Ukrinform correspondent reports with reference to a broadcast on Russian TV.

Before that, he accused Ukraine of escalating the current situation in certain areas of Donetsk and Luhansk regions, saying that Russia had done everything to preserve Ukraine's territorial integrity. Putin ended his speech with a threat to Ukraine, which is allegedly acting aggressively in Donbas.

During his televised address, the president of the Russian Federation made a sort of historic reference poorly consistent with historical science. In particular, Putin called our state "Ukraine named after Vladimir Ilyich Lenin", meaning that Ukraine was created by the Soviet dictator and the Bolshevik Party led by him.

Reaching the current situation in Ukraine, Putin described it extremely negatively in all spheres of life and called our country a "colony with a puppet regime." At the same time, he once again justified the occupation of Crimea.

The Russian president also reiterated Kremlin's narratives about a threat that Ukraine poses to Russia, especially if it joins NATO. At the same time, he criticized the West's unwillingness to respond positively to the Kremlin's ultimatums on Russia's "security guarantees."

Earlier today, all members of Security Council of the Russian Federation in telecast on Russian TV spoke in favor of recognition of the independence of so-called "republics" in certain areas of Donetsk and Luhansk regions. Russian president Vladimir Putin announced that he would make his decision on February 21.

Afterwards, during telephone conversations with President of France Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, Putin told them that he was going to sign a decree recognizing the independence of the so-called "DPR" and "LPR".