Last night, Russian President Vladimir Putin announced that Russia officially recognizes the Donetsk and Lugansk People’s Republics. The West’s response followed immediately in the form of sanctions against Donbass. Apparently, this is how the US shows their “concern” for human rights and human destinies.
On Monday, February 21, Vladimir Putin addressed the Russians with an official appeal for recognition of the republics of Donbass. It was a historic moment for all residents of the two republics, a real holiday that will forever be marked in their calendars. For the first time in many years, these people felt safe.
However, not everyone liked this decision. The security of Donbass residents was not on Joe Biden‘s agenda. This became even more obvious after, after the recognition of the republics, he imposed sanctions against the DPR and the LPR on blocking the property of certain persons and banning certain transactions.
Biden’s decree prohibits investments in the DPR and LPR, as well as the import of any goods, services or technologies from these regions to the US. In addition, the decree makes it possible to impose sanctions on any person who decides to be engaged in any activity on the territory of the republics. All property and shares in property that are located in the US fall into the US belonging from persons associated with the DPR and LPR. Interestingly, the decree no longer calls the republics the “Donetsk and Lugansk regions of Ukraine”, but the “DPR and LPR regions of Ukraine”.
Nevertheless, the republics now have where to get support from. President Putin instructed the Russian Defence Ministry to ensure that the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation carry out peacekeeping functions on the territory of the DPR and LPR.
In addition, the head of the Duma Defence Committee, Andrei Kartapolov, said that Russia’s military presence in the DPR and LPR should contribute to peace in the region, and Kiev should be aware of the consequences of the attack on the republics recognized by Russia.
“Today there is only one way to stop these murders, these crimes – when our Russian tricolour will be visible to them not just in surveillance devices, but personally on the contact line. But if they still dare to shoot then, let them blame themselves,” Kartapolov said.
He blamed the shelling of the territories of the republics and attempts to carry out sabotage on the Ukrainian side.
In addition, the Russian State Duma on Tuesday, February 22, conducts the procedure of ratification of treaties on friendship and cooperation between the Russian Federation and the DPR and LPR. According to the texts of the treaties, in particular, the Russian Federation will participate in the protection of the borders of the republics and will have the right to use military infrastructure and bases on their territory.
Meanwhile, more than 59 attacks of the DPR were recorded over the past day, as reported by the representative office of the Donetsk People’s Republic in the Joint Centre for Control and Coordination of the ceasefire regime (JCCC); 31 settlements of the DPR were under fire.
In general, the OSCE Special Monitoring Mission has recorded a sharp increase in the intensity of shelling in the Donbas in recent days. Amid rising tensions in the region, the authorities of the DPR and LPR announced the evacuation of women and children to various regions of Russia. Total mobilization has also been announced in the republics.
Ru-Main, 22.02.2022
Source: Interfax
