Note: the «Donetsk People's Republic» and «Luhansk People's Republic» are unrecognized and self-proclaimed terrorist quasi-state formations established by Russian commanders and pro-Russian separatist political leaders in the certain districts of Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts of Ukraine.
Following a meeting of the Security Council of Russia on Monday, February 21, Russian President Volodymyr Putin decided to recognize the self-proclaimed «DPR» and «LPR» in Donbas.
On Tuesday, February 22, he stated that Russia recognized the «LPR» and the «DPR» within the borders specified in their «constitutions» — that is, within Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts
Also, Putin received the consent of the Security Council of Russia to use the Russian army abroad.
Putin's actions have already been officially condemned by Denmark, Poland, Germany, Italy, Finland, the Netherlands, Georgia, Estonia, Austria, Lithuania, Slovakia, Ireland, Norway, Turkey, the Czech Republic, Moldova, and Latvia.
An official statement has also been made in the European Union, calling Putin's actions a flagrant violation of international law, Ukraine's territorial integrity, and the Minsk agreements. The EU approved new sanctions against Russia in response to the recognition of the fake «DPR» and «LPR».
According to the High Representative of the EU for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Josep Borrell, the sanctions targeted 351 members of the State Duma, who voted to recognize separatist republics.
The bloc will also punish 27 individuals and entities accused of destabilising Ukraine, waging disinformation campaigns and providing financial support to the two separatist regions. The targets will come from the political, military, business and media sectors, and will be subject to asset freezes and travel bans, which means they will not be allowed to enter or transit through EU territory.
President Joe Biden said that Russia has begun «an invasion» of Ukraine, and he announced sweeping sanctions on the major Russian bank VEB and its military bank, as well as on the country’s sovereign debt and on three individuals.
The bank sanctions will prohibit American financial institutions from processing transactions for VEB and for Russia’s military bank, PSB. This would effectively cut the banks out of transactions involving U.S. dollars, the global reserve currency.
As it turned out, Russia has only 6 «friends» in the world — Cuba, Venezuela, Nicaragua, and Syria. Countries that have agreed to recognize the fake republics of Donbas.
Russia's decision was also supported by two unrecognized republics created by Russia — Abkhazia and South Ossetia.