The Donetsk People's Republic (DPR) and the Luhansk People's Republic (LPR) are two regions that broke away from Ukraine when they were initially declared by Russian separatists to be independent sovereign states during the pro-Russian unrest in Ukraine in April 2014. Their secession occurred just one month after Russia annexed Crimea from Ukraine and triggered the War in Donbas. Both separatist movements received support from Russia, but their declarations of independence gained only limited international recognition. In September 2022, Russia annexed the DPR and the LPR, incorporating both of them as Russian republics with no sovereignty.
Since 2014, the Ukrainian government has classified Russian separatism as a terrorist movement. In addition to Ukraine, the majority of the international community, including the United Nations, has regarded the DPR and the LPRâÂÂlike CrimeaâÂÂas Ukrainian territory under Russian occupation. Three days before the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, Russia recognized the DPR and the LPR as independent and sovereign. Two other United Nations members followed: Syria in June 2022 and North Korea (which is involved in fighting against Ukraine) in July 2022. Although the two separatist states renounced their declarations of independence upon annexation, they have continued to claim the entirety of Ukraine's Donetsk Oblast and Luhansk Oblast on behalf of Russia's sovereign authority amidst the Russo-Ukrainian War.
Beyond United Nations members, the DPR and the LPR recognized each other. They were also recognized by two states with limited or no international recognition: South Ossetia (2014) and Abkhazia (2022). However, South Ossetia and Abkhazia are similarly classified by most of the international community as Georgian territory under Russian occupation since the Russian invasion of Georgia in August 2008.
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.
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.
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 its full-scale invasion of 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:
After limited success during a seven-month military campaign, Vladimir Putin recognized 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.