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.
Deputies of the State Duma supported the appeal to Russian President Putin to recognize the self-proclaimed «Donetsk People's Republic» and «Luhansk People's Republic». The day before, two similar draft resolutions were submitted to the Duma — from the Communists and Putin's United Russia party. Russian deputies supported both, but the majority (351 votes) received a draft resolution from the Communist Party.
The document provides negotiations with the leaders of the militants as soon as possible «to create a legal basis for interstate relations and regulate all aspects of cooperation and mutual assistance.»
So far, the decision of the deputies does not mean recognition of the independence of self-proclaimed formations of Russian-supported militants, Volodymyr Putin should do it.
In response, the Ukrainian Verkhovna Rada appealed to the UN, the European Commission, the European Parliament, the PACE, the OSCE PA, NATO PA, governments, and parliaments of the world to not recognize the independence of self-proclaimed «LDPR» in the temporarily occupied territories of Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts. 331 deputies voted for this draft resolution of the Verkhovna Rada.