The previous day, the leaders of the two administrations, which defined themselves as “Donetsk People’s Republic” and “Luhansk People’s Republic”, asked Putin to recognize them as two independent countries. After the start of the war “Where are Donatesk and Luhanks?” question is asked.
WHERE ARE DONATESK AND LUHANKS?
Donetsk and Luhansk regions are located in eastern Ukraine. The pro-Russian separatists, who have been de facto controlling certain areas within these regions since the conflict in 2014, had previously declared these two “republics” unilaterally in these areas.
Despite the ceasefire in 2015 by Ukraine and pro-Russian separatists in the east of the country, conflicts in the region still continued. The two independent “people’s republics” proclaimed by the separatists in about a third of the Donbas, Donetsk and Luhansk, were not recognized by Ukraine and Western countries, as well as by Russia. In addition, Russia has provided Russian passports to many people living in Donbas since 2019.
After the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991, Ukraine is a team between the Russian-influenced, mostly Russian-speaking, eastern and southern regions with a predominantly “Russian-identifying” population, and those living in the Ukrainian-speaking west who are eager to integrate into Europe. separations began to occur.
Tensions in Ukraine escalated in November 2013, when then-president Viktor Yanukovych rejected the European Union association agreement and turned to closer relations with Russia. Anti-government protests began in Kiev and spread throughout the country.
When the leaders of the pro-Moscow groups in the east announced that a referendum would be held in the eastern regions of Ukraine in April 2014, it was stated that the Russian army started to deploy towards the border of Ukraine’s industrial center Donetsk and Luhansk. After the referendums, on May 11, 2014, pro-Russian separatists declared independence in the Donbas region, consisting of Donetsk and Luhansk, and established two “people’s republics” there. But these governments were not recognized by either Kiev or the West.
When presidential elections were held in Ukraine at the end of the month, a polling station was not set up in Donetsk and some other regions. President-elect Petro Poroshenko announced his peace plan, and in July the separatists retreated south of Donetsk.
Clashes resumed a few days after the ceasefire between Ukraine and pro-Russian separatists in September.
The conflicts did not cease and the de facto control of the separatists and the influence of Russia continued in the two unilaterally declared “people’s republics” covering one third of the Donbas region.
In the fall of 2021, Western countries had been waiting for an attack for weeks after Russia deployed troops on the Ukrainian border, fearing Ukraine’s rapprochement and alliance with the EU and NATO.
Clashes started in eastern Ukraine towards the end of last week and two Ukrainian soldiers lost their lives. In addition, the leaders of pro-Russian separatists in the region declared “full military mobilization”. The fear of the Western countries was that with the recognition of these pro-Moscow regions, Russia would enter the territory of Ukraine.
Finally, Putin announced that he would accept these two people’s republics as “independent countries” and would send “peace forces”.