International recognition of the Donetsk People's Republic and the Luhansk People's Republic

Ukraine between 2014 and 2022:
     Controlled by the Donetsk People's Republic
     Claimed by the Donetsk People's Republic (i.e., Donetsk Oblast)
     Controlled by the Luhansk People's Republic
     Claimed by the Luhansk People's Republic (i.e., Luhansk Oblast)
     Annexed by Russia (i.e., Crimea)
Vladimir Putin signs presidential decrees recognizing the DPR and LPR and treaties of friendship, cooperation and mutual assistance, 21 February 2022
Presidential decrees No. 71 (left) and No. 72 (right), recognizing the independence of the DPR and the LPR.

From April 2014 until September 2022, the Donetsk People's Republic (DPR) and the Luhansk People's Republic (LPR) claimed to be independent states. Their sovereignty was recognised by South Ossetian authorities in 2014, Russia and Abkhazian authorities in February 2022,[1][2] Syria in June 2022[3][4] and North Korea in July 2022.[5]

Pro-Russian authorities in the two regions in the Donbas, a historical region in easternmost Ukraine, initially declared independence in response to the Maidan Revolution in 2014. They were backed by Russia, which provided them arms and funding, leading to the protracted War in Donbas. The Minsk Accords aimed to reach a solution to the war that would preserve Ukraine's territorial integrity, but resulted only in a ceasefire.

On 24 February 2022, Russia invaded Ukraine, just a few days after its recognition of the DPR and LPR, citing Ukraine's non-implementation of the Minsk Accords, amongst other stated reasons. On 30 September 2022, Russia formally annexed the two regions, in addition to two others. As a result, the DPR and LPR dropped their independence claims, now considering themselves to be part of Russia.

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.

Map of the international diplomatic situation of the Donetsk and Luhansk people's republics.
  Official recognition of the Donetsk and Luhansk people's republics
  Support for Russian recognition of the independence of the republics
  Support for Ukrainian territorial integrity, but no condemnation of Russian recognition
  Condemnation of Russian recognition of independence
  1. ^ "Russia recognizes Ukraine separatist regions as independent states". BBC News. 21 February 2022. Archived from the original on 21 February 2022. Retrieved 21 February 2022.
  2. ^ Cite error: The named reference :3 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ "Syrian Government Recognizes Pro-Russian LPR/DPR Ukrainian Separatist States". 29 June 2022. Archived from the original on 2 July 2022. Retrieved 29 June 2022.
  4. ^ "Syria recognizes independence, sovereignty of Donetsk, Luhansk -state news agency". Reuters. 29 June 2022.
  5. ^ "Ukraine cuts N Korea ties over recognition of separatist regions". Al Jazeera. 13 July 2022. Retrieved 13 July 2022.

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