BREAKING: PUTIN ANNOUNCES RUSSIA RECOGNIZES THE INDEPENDENCE OF LPR AND DPR -- (*Meaning Russia no longer recognizes LPR and DPR as Ukrainian territory, paving way for possible military assistance or peacekeeping; and/or protection of its 700k citizens living there. - *ASB) pic.twitter.com/B5zLCXLH5K— ASB News / MILITARY〽️ (@ASBMilitary) February 21, 2022
LPR and DPR are in the far east of Ukraine, and have a large entholinguistically Russian population who tend to be more friendly toward Russia than the West (a political hot topic in Ukraine, as you may imagine). Ukraine has been shelling these regions in spite of a ceasefire signed in 2015.
Putin has used the situation to talk up defending these people which has played well to his base (I'm not going to assume any particular altruistic motive to him come to their defense). This is where things started picking up a few weeks back although Western media has left out everything I've said up to this point and is acting like Putin wants to invade the entirety of Ukraine for no particular reason.
Today's development of recognizing the independence of these regions is another escalation on Putin's part, since they're claiming the territory as independent ("not Ukraine")
LPR and DPR are in the far east of Ukraine, and have a large entholinguistically Russian population who tend to be more friendly toward Russia than the West (a political hot topic in Ukraine, as you may imagine). Ukraine has been shelling these regions in spite of a ceasefire signed in 2015.
Putin has used the situation to talk up defending these people which has played well to his base (I'm not going to assume any particular altruistic motive to him come to their defense). This is where things started picking up a few weeks back although Western media has left out everything I've said up to this point and is acting like Putin wants to invade the entirety of Ukraine for no particular reason.
Today's development of recognizing the independence of these regions is another escalation on Putin's part, since they're claiming the territory as independent ("not Ukraine")