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By Erin Brady
AP Fellow
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As the Russian-Ukrainian conflict continues to heat up, Russian President Vladimir Putin could formally recognize Ukraine's separated states.
The alleged recognition of the Ukrainian regions of Donetsk and Lugansk could result at the end of the 2015 Minsk peace accords. NDTV reports that this proposal came from talks between Putin and his security council as the Russian president warned that Western powers were threatening their security. This report comes as the country also claims that their border separating itself from Ukraine was breached, something that the latter country denies.
According to Reuters, the announcement came in a televised meeting with the council, which normally does not hold publicly available meetings. In the meeting, he said that he would make a decision on whether to recognize Donetsk and Lugansk later that day.
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"It is clear to everyone that [Ukraine] is not going to do anything on this Minsk package of measures," said Putin in the meeting. "Russia has made and is still making efforts to peacefully resolve all the difficult and tragic elements in the development of events, but today we are where we are."
Any further details on any official recognition plans were not discussed.
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Donetsk and Lugansk broke away from Ukraine in 2014 to form People's Republics after the Ukrainian Revolution. After the regions broke away and more than 13,000 lives were claimed in the greater conflict, Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky agreed to an informal peace deal known as the Minsk peace accords. This measure, mediated by France and Germany according to BBC, implemented a ceasefire between the two countries. If Putin decides to formally recognize Donetsk and Lugansk as part of Russia, this peace agreement will be broken.
Despite the potential for incorporation into Russia, the regions are still preparing for the worst. Donetsk and Lugansk plan to evacuate around 700,000 women and children due to fears of a Ukrainian invasion, according to The New York Times. Both regions consider themselves loyal to Russia, modeling their governments after the Soviet Union.
The discussion on the Republics' futures comes as Russia claims that the Ukrainian Army attempted to breach their border into the country. Five were killed by Russian forces after trying to illegally enter the country on February 21, with the government accusing them of potentially being sent by Ukraine to worsen tensions.
"Two Ukrainian army infantry fighting vehicles crossed the state border into the Russian Federation to evacuate the sabotage group from the territory of Ukraine," said the Southern Military District in a statement. "As a result of the engagement, five members of the sabotage and reconnaissance group who violated the Russian border were eliminated."
However, Ukraine denied these allegations, saying that they "don't have people there, not could they be [there]."
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