OSCE logo. File photoMOSCOW, 22 FebOSCE Chairman and Polish Foreign Minister Zbigniew Rau, OSCE Secretary General Helga Schmid, OSCE Parliamentary Assembly President Margareta Söderfelt and Assembly Secretary General Roberto Montella said they consider Russia's decision to recognize independence DPR and LPR in violation of the Minsk agreements.
"This step is a violation of international law and the fundamental principles of the OSCE and runs counter to the Minsk agreements. Like all OSCE participating States, Russia is committed to respecting the sovereignty and territorial integrity of other states. We call on Russia to reverse this decision immediately. Recognition will only increase further tensions and separate the population living in these regions from the rest of their country, Ukraine,» the statement said.
Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday, after an extraordinary large meeting of the Security Council, addressed the citizens of the Russian Federation, said that he considers it necessary to make a decision to immediately recognize the sovereignty of the LPR and DPR, since those who embarked on the path of bloodshed, violence and lawlessness did not recognize and do not recognize any other solution of the conflict in Donbass, except for the military one. Immediately after the appeal, the president in the Kremlin signed decrees on the recognition of the LPR and the DPR. The situation in the Donbass has escalated in recent days, the DPR and LPR announced a lot of shelling by Ukrainian security forces. The leadership of the DPR and LPR announced the temporary evacuation of citizens to the Rostov region in connection with the threat of Ukraine's invasion. It primarily concerns women, children and the elderly. As stated by the head of the DPR Denis Pushilin, President of Ukraine Vladimir Zelensky will soon order the military to launch an offensive in the Donbass, to implement a plan to invade the DPR and LPR. On Saturday, February 19, the leaders of the DPR and LPR signed decrees on general mobilization, and then turned to the Russian Federation with a request for recognition. «/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/0450aa4d78518d096c9f3857e3d85052.jpg» />»For Russia, these are citizens, people, Russians.» How Moscow recognized the republicsPublished: Nikita Stoma