Which countries recognized the LPR? International recognition of the DPR and LPR took place: Documents

Discussions about the status of the unrecognized Lugansk and Donetsk people's republics have been going on for almost five years. And every time something turns up on the scales that forces even the most seasoned optimists to admit: official Moscow is not yet ready to recognize the LPR and DPR, and even more so to accept these territories, following the example of Crimea, into its composition. A lot has already been said and written about the reasons, prerequisites and subtle geopolitical game, so I would not want to delve into the depths of this problem today. On the contrary, I would like to draw attention to an almost unnoticed fact, which may well indicate one thing - in Russia they decided to recognize the republics in a soft way. And, apparently, the Oryol region will become a pioneer in this matter. It is noteworthy that the region itself does not even have a common border with the unrecognized republics in eastern Ukraine. For example, it is separated from the Lugansk Republic by the Bryansk and Kursk regions. Our recent discovery looks even more interesting.

So, one interesting document was published on the website of the Government of the Oryol Region last Wednesday. We are talking about decree No. 387 dated July 11 of this year, signed by the acting head of the region Andrei Klychkov. And about. the governor, as it turned out, signed a decree “On the creation of a special working group on integration interaction with the Lugansk and Donetsk people’s republics.” Here's grandma and Yuryev's day, millions of skeptics will respond with their voices. It would seem, where does the authorities of the Russian region, which does not even border the LDPR, come from for such zeal for almost formal recognition of some kind of status of the republics and attempts at mutual integration with them? But in reality, the situation can be assessed as an attempt to test the general mood and try to gently move on to the issue of discussing the future status of these currently “troubled” territories.

Everything is more than serious

For those who wanted to call the decree acting. Governor Klychkov with an indicative paper that has no basis in prospects, we will try to explain in more detail.

The fact is that a small archive with three attached documents is attached to the publication with the name of the decree. The first of them is decree No. 387 dated July 11, 2018, signed by Klychkov. The other two are appendices to the decree, the text of which defines the composition and regulations of the working group. Simply put, they want to launch the integration process between one of the constituent entities of the Russian Federation and two unrecognized republics in the east of Ukraine seriously and for a long time. And this is already a reason to think about how soon other regions of Russia will take such steps, and above all those that have common borders with the DPR and LPR.

It is currently extremely difficult to talk about the prospects and actual application of the decree of the governor of the Oryol region. But the seriousness of the plans of the local authorities can be easily seen from the same additions to the decree. For example, the composition of the working group from the Oryol region was not just determined - it included almost the top officials of the region. Here, for example, are the names of the first deputy governor and chairman of the regional government Budarin (he is also entrusted with leading the group), deputy chairman of the regional government for internal policy Erokhin, heads of numerous departments and offices, and even representatives of the Oryol city administration. In total, the group consists of about one and a half dozen high-ranking officials, so it is impossible to perceive it as an attempt to simply make a splash in the information field. Especially if we take into account such an interesting fact, the document itself was signed and published somehow quietly, so as not to cause too much resonance and active discussion.

The second addition to the governor's decree defines the rights, responsibilities and powers of the working group. In this case, everything is somewhat lengthy, however, it should be assumed that after the first few of its meetings the document will be supplemented and will take on a more specific form and a completed edition. And then - it’s just a matter of little things - it’s time to expect reciprocal steps from representatives of the unrecognized republics, who, every now and then, complain about Russia’s insufficiently active position regarding the status of the entities.

Klychkov himself, by the way, later stated that this decision has nothing to do with the international legal status of the unrecognized republics and is a logical continuation of the partnership between neighboring regions. The federal Russian authorities did not react to this in any way, but the status of the governor’s official decree suggests that the document is aimed at something clearly more than the usual “neighborly help.” Perhaps the matter has really moved forward and one day will take on quite clear outlines, but for now we just have to wait.

The DPR and LPR are self-proclaimed republics. At the moment, they are not recognized by any country that is a member of the UN. The only state that has recognized them is South Ossetia, but it itself does not have the status of a full-fledged state entity.

Why Russia recognized Abkhazia and Crimea, but did not recognize the DPR
Although outwardly the situation in Abkhazia, South Ossetia and Crimea is the same as the LDPR, at the state level their situation is very different.

South Ossetia and Abkhazia are the regions where Russian peacekeepers were initially stationed. Georgia's attack on these regions led to a "peace enforcement operation." As a result, Russia has the prerequisites not only to use force, but also to recognize the independence of these regions as a result of open aggression against the civilian population and its military personnel.

If there had been Russian peacekeepers in Donetsk until 2014, the situation would have been repeated by analogy with Abkhazia. But this was not the case.

It’s even easier in Crimea. There was originally a Russian military and naval base here. Moreover, Crimea is a separate state entity - a republic. Therefore, according to international standards, holding a referendum, especially after the coup in Ukraine, fully complies with UN standards.

In the case of Donetsk and Lugansk, these areas are just regions of Ukraine, they are not republics like Crimea, and there were no peacekeepers or Russian troops there. Therefore, at the official level, Russia cannot recognize the LDPR without recognizing them by the UN or other UN member countries.

In what case will Russia recognize the LDPR?
If the Minsk agreements are disrupted and Ukraine commits some kind of terrorist attack that will lead to mass casualties, or starts a new war, this will mean Ukraine’s withdrawal from these agreements.

Accordingly, Russia will have a formal reason to use the “last argument of kings” - to recognize the independence of the LDPR and send its troops to Donbass.

What will happen after Russia recognizes the LDPR. Chronicle of the collapse of Ukraine
1. Recognition of the LDPR means that in the eyes of the Russian Federation they will become full-fledged sovereign states, and not regions of Ukraine. This also means that Russia will be able to enter into formal agreements with them.

2. Immediately after such recognition (due to the attack by Ukraine), two treaties will be signed. The first is the Treaty of Friendship with the LDPR. The second is an agreement on military assistance in case of aggression.

What is the US doing? - But they don’t do anything. In a military sense, even NATO will not be able to compete with Russia - no one will start World War III for the sake of Ukraine, especially considering the personal territorial claims to Ukraine of Poland, Hungary and Romania. It is much easier for these NATO countries to observe and “quietly” steal from Ukraine the areas that they consider their own.
3. After the entry of the regular Russian army and after the use of modern means of war, the Ukrainian army together with the National Guard, at best, retreats, or surrenders to the Russian troops and Donbass militias (the majority of the military in the Armed Forces of Ukraine will not fight against the Russians).

True, only the Armed Forces of Ukraine will surrender, but the National Guard understands that in Russia the Investigative Committee and long-term work on the development of Siberia and the Far North await them under the supervision of gloomy guys in blouses.

At the same time, sanctions are getting stronger, there is real hysteria at the UN, but Russia and China easily block any decisions of the Security Council. Angela Merkel, as the leader of the European Union, receives assurances from Putin that the Russian army will not go to Kyiv, the panic in NATO calms down slightly. In the end, if you look at things soberly, then they have long said goodbye to Crimea and Donetsk.

Kyiv, in panic, is drawing troops to the conflict zone and the Verkhovna Rada to protect the government, exposing its flanks. Of course, in the conflict zone, the Ukrainian Armed Forces are at a respectful distance from Russian armored forces and airborne forces.

4. Other regions of Ukraine receive a clear signal: if you want, you can secede from Ukraine. Believe me, there are many sensible people in Ukraine who do not write on social networks and sit quietly, since any manifestation of love for Russia can result in a prison sentence for betraying national interests. They just sit and wait for the right moment.

And now such a moment comes. Millions of guns from looted military warehouses and from the conflict zone in Donbass are in the hands of the population. In addition, there will always be “businessmen” who, in the wake of patriotism, will want to “pinch off” a piece of power for themselves. And for this you need to take power.

As a result, taking advantage of the fact that Kyiv has exposed its flanks and herded troops into the “ATO” zone and towards the capital, pro-Russian forces are rising in Odessa, Kharkov, Kherson, and Zaporozhye.

The same thing is happening in the Transcarpathian region and Bukovina, but pro-Hungarian and pro-Romanian forces are rising. There are options here - the Hungarians and Romanians can send in their troops “to protect their citizens.” And there are many citizens there - tens and hundreds of thousands of Bucharest and Budapest have distributed their passports to residents of this region.

By the way, in Transcarpathia the population definitely has thousands of guns in their hands, and they can defend themselves against Ukraine there as easily as in Crimea - by blocking just a few passes in the Carpathians.

5. The Kharkov, Southern, Zaporozhye and Odessa republics are formed. Perhaps other regions will catch up too. The situation is completely out of Kyiv's control. Perhaps many functionaries of the current government, led by Mr. Poroshenko, are urgently packing their bags and flying to their villas in Spain and the USA.

6. Poland is bringing thousands of claims by Polish citizens over their lands and objects in Western Ukraine, which were taken away and nationalized after the arrival of Soviet troops there in 1939. Many publications in Poland, Russia and Ukraine wrote that these lawsuits are ready and waiting in the wings.

Western Ukraine is gradually “swimming away” towards Warsaw, where Ukrainian nationalists are ready to recall the Volyn massacre, in which hundreds of thousands of Polish women and children died.

6. The state of Ukraine is “shrunk” into several central regions. Perhaps the government is changing to a pro-Russian one. But these are already details.

In general, in this place we can confidently say - finita la commedia.

The conversation was devoted to the exchange of prisoners between the DPR/LPR and official Kiev. However, observers saw serious political implications in this.

Telephone conversation between Vladimir Putin, Alexander Zakharchenko and Igor Plotnitsky took place on the initiative of the leader of the public movement “Ukrainian choice is the right of the people” Victor Medvedchuk. There was talk of a large-scale prisoner exchange using the “all for all” formula. The day before, Medvedchuk at a meeting with Putin and Patriarch of Moscow and All Rus' Kirill in the Resurrection New Jerusalem Monastery appealed to the head of Russia with a request to support the proposal for an exchange of prisoners, which had not happened for 14 months, and to talk about such an exchange with the leaders of the DPR and LPR.

Commented on the conversation for AiF.ru political scientist, president of the Center for System Analysis and Forecasting Rostislav Ishchenko.

— Rostislav Vladimirovich, why was Putin’s intervention necessary? Previously, it was not required, but suddenly the issue of prisoner exchange began to be resolved at such a high level. What happened?

“I don’t think that it was impossible to get by and solve everything without the intervention of Vladimir Putin. It’s just that in this situation, in my opinion, the Russian President demonstrated: in fact, there is partial recognition of the governing structures of the DPR and LPR. Before this, he had not communicated with them, thereby emphasizing that these were, after all, self-proclaimed republics. Now the situation is changing, and it is changing primarily in Kyiv, and not for the better for the Ukrainian leadership. It, in fact, refuses to implement the Minsk agreements. Thus, by addressing directly the heads of the DPR and LPR, Putin took a step towards their full recognition.

This doesn't mean it will come tomorrow. Everything can happen in a month or a year. South Ossetia and Abkhazia have been waiting for recognition from Russia for 20 years. But overall, this is a signal to our Western partners, who must now take into account that Moscow has a fairly wide field for maneuver.

— It turns out that the noble question of the exchange of prisoners was used as a successful pretext in a big political game?

- Why not? You understand that if you called Zakharchenko and Plotnitsky with the same question, say, Surkov, they would also give consent, including because there are their prisoners there. Moreover, they are given 4 times more prisoners: 306 to 74. Why would they refuse this option? Therefore, in this situation, Putin’s call was made not in order to convince anyone of something, but with the goal of showing the West: the situation is changing significantly, and we can already play in it differently.

— Will things move forward with the exchange now? As you know, the stumbling block here was the principle of “all for all” exchange, which was not accepted by the Ukrainian side.

— Actually, it was accepted because it was included in the Minsk agreements. But Kyiv cannot determine how many prisoners it has and how much it wants to receive in exchange. They are constantly arresting someone else there, and often people thrown into dungeons somewhere in Kharkov or Kyiv are also considered kind of prisoners of war. In this regard, problems constantly arise about who is considered prisoners and who is not. And due to the fault of the Ukrainian side, the process is being slowed down.

I'm not sure he'll go now. Because as soon as the exchange is made, then, of course, Poroshenko He will say that this is his great victory. But his opponents will immediately say that he exchanged an entire battalion of “separatist terrorists” for just one company of noble cyborgs. The situation in Ukraine is quite tense: political figures of all stripes, colors and colors are becoming even more radicalized. It was difficult for Poroshenko to make these exchanges before, and even more so now.

— Let’s say that Russia really makes it clear that it perceives the DPR and LPR not as bandits who are muddying the waters in Ukraine, but as almost full-fledged partners. What could be the condition for their final recognition?

— The situation in Ukraine is so unpredictable that it is unclear who exactly will have to be recognized there in a week or two and within what boundaries. And even more so, in two months... Now there is no reason for Russia to recognize the DPR and LPR in those territorial fragments in which they still exist. Ukraine itself is on the verge of collapse. There is a tough political struggle going on there: an attempt to remove Poroshenko through a creeping coup. After this, several clans will begin to divide power and territory, and this is unlikely to happen without shooting. Already the Poles, Hungarians and Romanians are at a low start at the borders, ready to divide Ukraine. Therefore, it is easier to wait and see what happens next.

Russia can provide any assistance to the republics - economic, military, political - and that is what it has been doing for 4 years, regardless of whether they are officially recognized or not. By and large, only one thing will change radically: the LPR and DPR will have the opportunity to open their embassies in Moscow.

Euromaidan is the cause of all current problems in Ukraine

At first I’ll briefly tell you everything about the current state of various disputed regions around Russia, and then I will describe the consequences of the recognition of the DPR and LPR in the form of a chronicle of the collapse of Ukraine.

Why Russia recognized Abkhazia and Crimea, but did not recognize the DPR

Although outwardly the situation in Abkhazia, South Ossetia and Crimea is the same as the LDPR, at the state level their situation is very different.

South Ossetia and Abkhazia are regions where Russian peacekeepers were initially present. Georgia's attack on these regions led to a "peace enforcement operation." As a result, Russia has the prerequisites not only to use force, but also to recognize the independence of these regions as a result of open aggression against the civilian population and its military personnel.

If there had been Russian peacekeepers in Donetsk until 2014, the situation would have been repeated by analogy with Abkhazia. But that didn't happen.

It’s even easier in Crimea. Here originally stood Russian military and naval base. Moreover, Crimea is a separate state entity - a republic. Therefore, according to international standards, holding a referendum, especially after the coup in Ukraine, fully complies with UN standards.

In what case will Russia recognize the LDPR?

If the Minsk agreements are disrupted and Ukraine commits some kind of terrorist attack that will lead to mass casualties, or starts a new war, this will mean Ukraine’s withdrawal from these agreements.

Accordingly, Russia will have a formal reason to use the “last argument of kings” - to recognize the independence of the LDPR and send its troops to Donbass.

What will happen after Russia recognizes the LDPR. Chronicle of the collapse of Ukraine

1. Recognition of the LDPR means that in the eyes of the Russian Federation they will become full-fledged sovereign states, and not regions of Ukraine. This also means that Russia will be able to enter into formal agreements with them.

2. Immediately after such recognition(due to the attack by Ukraine) two treaties will be signed. The first is the Treaty of Friendship with the LDPR. The second is an agreement on military assistance in case of aggression.

The airborne assault battalion of the Russian Airborne Forces is operating

What is the US doing? - But they don’t do anything. In a military sense, even NATO will not be able to compete with Russia - no one will start World War III for the sake of Ukraine, especially considering the personal territorial claims to Ukraine of Poland, Hungary and Romania. It is much easier for these NATO countries to observe and “quietly” steal from Ukraine the areas that they consider their own.

3. After the entry of the regular army Russia and after the use of modern means of war, the Ukrainian army together with the National Guard, at best, retreats, or surrenders to the Russian troops and Donbass militias (the majority of the military in the Armed Forces of Ukraine will not fight against the Russians).

Sanctions are getting stronger , there is real hysteria at the UN, but Russia and China easily block any decisions of the Security Council. Angela Merkel, as the leader of the European Union, receives assurances from Putin that the Russian army will not go to Kyiv, the panic in NATO calms down slightly. In the end, if you look at things soberly, then they have already said goodbye to Crimea and Donetsk a long time ago.

Kyiv, in panic, is drawing troops to the conflict zone and the Verkhovna Rada to protect the government, exposing its flanks. Of course, in the conflict zone, the Ukrainian Armed Forces are at a respectful distance from Russian armored forces and airborne forces.

4. Other regions of Ukraine receive a clear signal: if you want, you can secede from Ukraine. Believe me, there are many sensible people in Ukraine who do not write on social networks and sit quietly, since any manifestation of love for Russia can result in a prison sentence for betraying national interests. They just sit and wait for the right moment.

The same thing is happening in the Transcarpathian region and Bukovina, but pro-Hungarian and pro-Romanian forces are rising. Here are the options - Hungarians and Romanians can send in their troops “to protect their citizens”. And there are many citizens there - tens and hundreds of thousands of Bucharest and Budapest have distributed their passports to residents of this region.

5. The Kharkov, Southern, Zaporozhye and Odessa republics are formed. Perhaps other regions will catch up too. The situation is completely out of Kyiv's control. Perhaps many functionaries of the current government, led by Mr. Poroshenko, are urgently packing their bags and flying to their villas in Spain and the USA.

6. Poland files 100 thousand claims Polish citizens to their lands and objects in Western Ukraine, which were taken away and nationalized after the arrival of Soviet troops there in 1939. Many publications in Poland, Russia and Ukraine wrote that these lawsuits are ready and waiting in the wings.

Western Ukraine is gradually “swimming away” towards Warsaw, where Ukrainian nationalists are ready to recall the Volyn massacre, in which hundreds of thousands of Polish women and children died.

6. The state of Ukraine is “shrinking” to several central regions. Perhaps the government is changing to a pro-Russian one. But these are already details.

In general, in this place we can confidently say - finita la commedia.

P.S. Oh, I forgot - sanctions, of course, continue to be imposed.If only there were Russia, there would always be a reason...

What frightens the residents of the Donetsk and Lugansk People's Republics most now? Yes, this is a constant threat to life, which is essentially taking place in wartime conditions, fear for the future - one’s own and those of loved ones, a constant feeling of anxiety for tomorrow.

All this is true, but most of all the people who have suffered and suffered over these three years are afraid of uncertainty. Who are they, what state do they live in, and why did they turn from citizens of the state of Ukraine into its hostages, and without a specific legal status?

The other day, these people began to have hope, albeit still weak, for recognition of the republics: on February 18, Russian President Vladimir Putin issued a Decree according to which documents issued by state bodies and organizations of the LDPR, educational institutions, as well as registration license plates will be recognized on the territory of the Russian Federation Vehicle. The decree came into force from the date of signing.

For now, such actions by the Russian President cannot be considered as actual recognition of the DPR and LPR: the very essence of the government document speaks to this. However, let's talk about everything in order and based on the text of the Decree itself. At the same time, we will ignore idle comments and versions that managed to fill the media space a couple of days before the refusal.

Let's start with the most interesting, or rather the most interesting: what specific documents will be recognized as valid. So, first of all, these are identity documents, educational and qualification certificates, civil registration, vehicles, as well as vehicle license plates issued to citizens permanently residing in certain areas of Donbass and Luhansk region.

The most important thing is that this will give them the right to visa-free entry into the territory of the Russian Federation on the basis of internal passports of the LDPR.

The Decree very clearly interprets the reason for such a presidential decision: to protect human rights, civil liberties and on the basis of international law.

There is one caveat in its text, namely: the recognition of documents is spoken of as a temporary measure established until the situation in the specified territories is resolved in accordance with.

That’s basically all – if it’s in the text. Most likely, President Putin will give the appropriate orders to prepare the necessary regulatory framework “under the Decree” and official explanations will follow, but so far only a page and a half text. At the same time, the Decree does not even contain specific names of the Republics - the concept of individual regions of the regions is applied to them, and therefore it is too early to talk about the actual recognition of the DPR and LPR. But then what is all this for?

First of all, we repeat - in order to protect human and civil rights. After all, in the Republics for three years, in addition to military operations, ordinary life flowed: people were born and died, got married and gave birth to children, graduated from educational institutions of various levels, received qualifications and professions, passports, driver’s licenses, and finally sold and bought cars. All this was also documented on the territory of the Republics - you can’t go to Ukraine for this! It is true that these documents were recognized until the publication of the Decree only in the territories of the DPR and LPR, whose residents were previously in a kind of civil legal vacuum.

And of course, this is serious moral support, and in fact, recognition of the people of Donbass and Luhansk region as subjects of civil law.

What's next or a parade of coincidences

The logical question is – what next? After all, if all of the above documents are recognized, then the bodies that issued them must also be officially recognized, and therefore the state administrative entities represented by these bodies. The answer suggests itself - most likely, recognition of the republics by the Russian Federation is not far off.

However, this requires an appropriate and step-by-step legal process, during which the specified territories must first be granted a status that allows, according to international law, to claim the possibility of self-determination - for example, autonomy. This is precisely the essence of the Minsk agreements, which, although not implemented by Ukraine, oblige it to change the Constitution accordingly. In addition to the Russian Federation, Germany and France were the guarantors of this at one time.

In addition, let us pay attention to a number of events that took place at the end of January - February of this year.

First of all, this is the resumption of the offensive nature by the Ukrainian side in certain sections of the demarcation line and a significant concentration of offensive resources along its entire length. That is, Ukraine openly ignores the Minsk agreements and, moreover, clearly uses terrorist methods to physically destroy representatives of the command staff of the DPR army (the murder of Mikhail “Givi” Tolstoy).

Next... Today, armed representatives of the so-called. “organizations of ATO veterans” together with militants of radical nationalist organizations have blocked virtually all communications between the LDPR and the rest of Ukraine. Thus, the normal functioning of energy-producing enterprises (TES) is threatened; the agenda is to increase the load of nuclear power plants located on the territory of Ukraine to a critical level. Considering that the above militants have repeatedly announced the seizure of a number of nuclear power plants, this already smacks of a man-made disaster of a continental (without exaggeration) scale.

At the same time, the security forces of Ukraine are not able to resist the militants and have admitted their powerlessness. An example of this is the personal (almost useless) visit to one of the checkpoints of the head of the police department in the Donetsk region, General Abroskin, who left there, let’s say, without a slurp.

Considering the ongoing acts of genocide against the Russian-speaking population of the east, the inactivity and helplessness of the official authorities, and the interest in destabilizing certain government agencies, politicians and people’s deputies, we can safely assume that terrorist attempts in Ukraine are currently part of the official political course.

Now about the statements of the leaders of the DPR and LPR

Recently, they both agreed on the inevitable nationalization of enterprises located on the territory of the republics. This looks like a signal to the former “owner” of Donbass, oligarch Rinat Akhmetov, whose business after nationalization will work for the GDP of the Republics.

And the last thing he said and what alarmed Kyiv and his sympathizers so much: he presented the main task today as liberation by political, and if necessary, by military means, the entire territory of the Donetsk and Lugansk regions.

What is this? Just coincidences? Or, against the background of the worsening insolvency of the Ukrainian state and the terrorist threat emanating from it, recognition of the DPR and LPR is a matter of the near future? Moreover, most likely, within the administrative boundaries of the Donetsk and Lugansk regions. And it’s possible that someone else will want to “join.” Time will show…