International recognition of the Donetsk People's Republic and the Luhansk People's Republic



From April 2014 until September 2022, the Donetsk People's Republic (DPR) and the Luhansk People's Republic (LPR) claimed to be independent states. Their sovereignty was recognized by South Ossetian authorities in 2014, Russia and Abkhazian authorities in February 2022, Syria in June 2022 and North Korea in July 2022.

Pro-Russian authorities in the two regions in the Donbas, a historical region in easternmost Ukraine, initially declared independence in response to the Maidan Revolution in 2014. They were backed by Russia, which provided them arms and funding, leading to the protracted War in Donbas. The Minsk Accords aimed to reach a solution to the war that would preserve Ukraine's territorial integrity, but resulted only in a ceasefire.

On 24 February 2022, Russia invaded Ukraine, just a few days after its recognition of the DPR and LPR, citing Ukraine's non-implementation of the Minsk Accords, amongst other stated reasons. On 30 September 2022, Russia formally annexed the two regions, in addition to two others. As a result, the DPR and LPR dropped their independence claims, now considering themselves to be part of Russia.

The United Nations and most of the international community have consistently condemned the DPR and LPR's initial independence claims, as well as the subsequent annexation. Both are illegal under mainstream interpretations of international law, according to which the territory should belong to Ukraine.



History
In November 2014, representatives of Novorossiya sent a request of diplomatic recognition to several Latin American states, including Cuba, Nicaragua, and Venezuela. Formal responses to the requests were not issued.

In May 2015, the confederation ceased its activities due to their "incompatibility with the Normandy Format plan of peace settlement", promoting for DPR and LPR becoming autonomous regions within the Ukrainian borders. The Minsk Accords laid out the process for this to be achieved.

On 15 February 2022, citing Ukraine's non-implementation of the Minsk Accords, the Russian State Duma voted to ask President Vladimir Putin to recognize the self-declared Donetsk and Luhansk People's Republics as independent states. The bill was proposed by the Communist Party.

On 21 February 2022, the State Duma of Russia passed a bill to officially recognize the self-proclaimed Donetsk People's Republic and Luhansk People's Republic in Eastern Ukraine as independent states. The bill was approved by President Vladimir Putin. On the same day, Putin signed decrees recognizing the Donetsk People's Republic and Luhansk People's Republic, and also signed agreements on friendship, cooperation, and assistance with the republics.

The moves between the State Duma and Putin have been described as coordinated and in prelude to a Russian invasion.

Aftermath of Russian recognition
A February poll released by the independent Levada Center found that 45% of Russians backed Russia's recognition of the separatist-controlled Donetsk and Luhansk People's Republics.

On 24 February 2022, Russia began invading Ukraine, which included sending troops into the DPR and LPR. The need to secure their territorial integrity was used as a legal justification.

State Duma deputy Mikhail Matveyev, who voted in favour of DPR and LPR recognition, denounced the invasion, stating: "'I voted for peace, not for war. I wanted Russia to become a shield so that Donbas would not be bombed, not for Kyiv to be bombed.'"

After limited success during a seven-month military campaign, Vladimir Putin recognised the Russian-occupied Kherson and Zaporizhzhia oblasts as independent states, and signed treaties of accession into the Russian Federation with the military-civil administrations of those two regions, as well as the DPR and LPR. This was despite not having full control of the four new regions, continuing to fight for it with the Ukrainians.