Russian President Vladimir Putin ratcheted up tensions over Ukraine by announcing he’s recognizing a pair of self-proclaimed separatist republics in eastern Ukraine. He also said that he’ll send “peacekeeping forces” to the Donetsk and Luhansk People’s Republics, fueling U.S. and European concern that Moscow is moving to take control of land internationally recognized as part of Ukraine.
Russia has repeatedly denied it is planning any attack, and Putin has said his country was not considering annexing the area. Here’s a closer look at the territories and why they are now at the center of attention:
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What are the Donetsk and Luhansk People’s Republics?
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They were once Ukraine’s industrial heartland, part of largely Russian-speaking provinces in the nation’s southeast. Russia-backed separatists seized control of the regions along the two nations’ border after the overthrow of Ukraine’s pro-Kremlin president, a move that coincided with Russia annexing Crimea in 2014. The fighting has killed about 14,000 people and left more than 1.4 million internally displaced within Ukraine, according to government data.
Read More: Fear of War Grips Europe as Russia Orders Troops Into Ukraine
The rebels hold about one third of the provinces, calling them the Donetsk People’s Republic (DNR) and the Luhansk People’s Republic (LNR). No nation recognized them until Russia did so. Russia has been giving them financial and military support since their formation, and has granted Russian passports to hundreds of thousands of people there.
What is Russia’s interest in Donetsk and Luhansk?
Russia wants Donetsk and Luhansk to gain autonomy that gives them an effective veto over major shifts in Ukraine’s orientation—namely the Western…
Source : time
