A question may arise in the minds of many about the geography and history of Donetsk and Luhansk, whose independence was recognized by Russian President Vladimir Putin, in stark defiance of the West in light of the rising tension between Moscow on the one hand and the European Union and the United States of America on the other hand over the Ukrainian crisis.
Donetsk and Luhansk, the two breakaway pro-Russian republics that recognized their independence on Monday, are located in the Russian-speaking Donbass Basin in eastern Ukraine, and since 2014 they have fallen out of Kiev’s control.
The conflict, which has continued since 2014, between separatists and Ukrainian government forces, has killed more than 14,000 people.
Mining and minerals area
Donetsk (formerly Stalin) is the main city in the Donbass mining basin and one of the main centers of steel production in Ukraine. It has a population of two million.
Lugansk (formerly Voroshilovgrad) is an industrial city with a population of 1.5 million.
The Donbass basin, bordering Russia on the northern shore of the Black Sea, contains huge coal reserves.
The presence of Russian speakers in the region is mainly due to the dispatch of Russian workers there after World War II during the Soviet era.
Struggle since 2014
The conflict between Ukrainian forces and separatists erupted in Donetsk and Luhansk eight years ago, following Russia’s annexation of Crimea.
The international community does not recognize their independence, which was declared after referendums.
Kiev and the West accuse Russia of supporting pro-Moscow separatists militarily and financially. Russian President Vladimir Putin announced on Monday that he recognized their independence.
The Donbass region is also at the center of a cultural battle between Kiev and Moscow that asserts that this region, like much of eastern Ukraine, is inhabited by Russian speakers who should be protected from Ukrainian nationalism.
Minsk agreements
Efforts to resolve the conflict in eastern Ukraine, enshrined in the 2015 Minsk agreements, have reached a dead end, with Kiev and separatists accusing each other of violating them.
A series of truces were agreed upon, which failed one after the other due to repeated violations by the belligerents.
The political aspect of the agreements, which gives the rebel areas broad autonomy and the possibility of holding local elections in accordance with Ukrainian laws, remains dead on paper, with the warring parties blaming each other for this failure.
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson condemned Moscow’s recognition of the independence of the two separatist regions on Monday, calling it a “flagrant violation of Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity” and Russia’s “repudiation” of the Minsk agreements.
leaders
Denis Pushilin, elected in 2018 in elections denounced by Kiev, leads the self-proclaimed “Donetsk People’s Republic”.
Leonid Pasechnik heads the self-proclaimed Luhansk People’s Republic.
Several warlords and separatist leaders have been killed in recent years in attacks, or have been victims of internal conflicts or even operations of Ukraine’s special forces, according to unverified reports.
The rebel leader in Donetsk, Alexander Zakharchenko, who was killed in an explosion in a cafe in Donetsk in August 2018, was the most prominent death among the separatists to date.