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Putin Sends Troops to Eastern Ukraine After Recognising Breakaway Regions Donetsk, Luhansk

The Russian President called out Ukraine for not implementing the Minsk Agreements, adding that Moscow’s efforts to ensure peace have not been reciprocated by Kyiv.

February 22, 2022

Author

Statecraft Staff
Putin Sends Troops to Eastern Ukraine After Recognising Breakaway Regions Donetsk, Luhansk 
Russian President Vladimir Putin claimed that Ukraine’s NATO membership is a “direct” threat to Russian security, adding that it goes against the US and NATO’s 2008 promise.
IMAGE SOURCE: SPUTNIK

On Monday, Russian President Vladimir Putin signed two executive orders that officially proclaim the independence of Donetsk People’s Republic (DNR) and the Luhansk People’s Republic (LNR), two Russia-backed breakaway territories in the Donbas region of Eastern Ukraine.

Putin followed this move by asking Russia’s Defence Ministry to send “peacekeepers” to these regions to consolidate their independence. Defence Minister Sergey Shoigu said Russia is anticipating “serious provocations” from Ukraine, calling the situation “extremely tense.”

Putin announced Russia’s recognition of the independence of DNR and LNR after an unscheduled Security Council meeting to address the escalating situation in Donbas. During the meeting, Putin accused the current Ukrainian government of conducting  “punitive operations” in certain parts of Donbas that did not recognise the 2014 elections, which Putin described as an “anti-constitutional, blood-shedding coup.” He also criticised Ukraine for not implementing the Minsk Agreements, adding that Moscow’s efforts to ensure peace have not been reciprocated by Kyiv.

Putin emphasised that this is a matter of international security and noted that Russia intensified its contact with the United States (US) and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) to reach a peaceful consensus. However, Putin accused Washington and NATO of not agreeing to Moscow’s security demands and instead jeopardising Russia’s security by promising NATO membership to Georgia and Ukraine.

In a television address, Putin affirmed that Ukraine’s NATO membership is a “direct” threat to Russian security, adding that it goes against the US and NATO’s 2008 promise. Putin also claimed that “Ukraine never had a tradition of genuine statehood,” evoking the memories of Joseph Stalin and Vladimir Lenin, and declared Russia’s commitment towards the separatists in Donetsk and Luhansk to be a historical responsibility.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said that Washington and NATO have completely overlooked Moscow’s primary demands for NATO to halt its eastward expansion and for the US to cease its missile movement in Europe as laid out in Putin’s security proposal in December. Even though the West’s response to Putin’s security proposal addresses some of Russia’s concerns, Lavrov stressed that Russia’s security demands are not “a la carte menu to choose from.” Nevertheless, Lavrov hinted that Russia is open to diplomacy, saying, “These openings are small but they do exist.”

The conflict in Donbas has escalated sharply in recent days with Russia-backed separatists and the Ukrainian armed forces exchanging fire at an unprecedented level. Last Saturday, the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) reported 1,500 ceasefire violations in the region—a record for this year. On Monday, Russian armed forces killed five Ukrainian army members for breaching Russia’s territory; however, Ukraine dismissed the information as false.

In this context, Lavrov’s meeting with the US Secretary of State Antony Blinken in Geneva this week will be a critical juncture in the ongoing Russia-Ukraine conflict.

Author

Statecraft Staff

Editorial Team

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