Russia-Ukraine war: Know all about Luhansk and Donetsk provinces at the centre of conflict

After formally recognizing the Luhansk “People’s Republic” and Donetsk “People’s Republic”, which are the two breakaway areas of the Donbass region of Ukraine, Russia declared war over Ukraine earlier this week. Russian President Vladimir Putin had first sent troops in these areas for peacekeeping, even as efforts were going on for a diplomatic resolution to the crisis.

Now, Russia has declared a full fledged war over Ukraine.

In his late night speech, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said he asked “27 European leaders whether Ukraine will be in NATO …. Everyone is afraid, no one answers.”

More about Luhansk & Donetsk

These two areas are located in south-eastern Ukraine and are major industrial centres in an area which is collectively known as the Donbass. This area has borders with Russia. In 2014, the two areas declared themselves independent of Ukraine. They were encouraged by the annexation of Crimea by Russia, but had remained unrecognised by Moscow and the international community. While the intelligence reports from the Western world have mentioned the presence of the Russian troops in these two areas, this has been denied by the Russians vehemently.

Importance of Donbass

This area has the largest coal reserves in Ukraine. According to the information available in the public domain, Donetsk, has a population of around 2 billion, is known for a wide range of metallurgical industries and is considered to be the fifth largest city in Ukraine. And Luhansk is also an industrial city which is centered on metal industries. It has a population of 1.5 million.

More than 40 percent of the people in these two areas are ethnic Russians and they form the largest minority in the Donbass region.

Ethnic Russians were present in large numbers in the region even in the pre-war years and they were part of the industrial workforce. However, it was after the war, when the reconstruction of the Donbass started under Stalin, that there was a wave of Russians arriving in the region. According to reports, Ukraine’s role in the war, there were some sections who collaborated with Nazi Germany, and this may have led to the Russian settlement.

Language

Today, the majority of the people in the two areas speak Russian and even non-native Russians identify as Russian speakers. The affinity with Russia is distinct both in culture and in politics.

About Rebellion against Kyiv

In 1991, Ukraine got its independence from Russia through a referendum, after the break-up of the Soviet Union. Donbass then became the centre of rebellion against Ukrainian centralization.

And the government of Ukraine ignored demands for recognition of the Russian language and devolution of power.  The 1990s witnessed economic collapse across the former Soviet Union, and Donbass too was badly hit.

Ukraine too struggled and it undertook economic reforms under the supervision of the World Bank.  State assets were sold and a new class of power elites was created and they were politically connected and extremely corrupt. They took control of the businesses and industries.  In Donbass a big number of oligarchs rose up in Donbass. These oligarchs of Donbass, who had Russian leanings, spearheaded the dissidence against Kyiv.

One of these oligarchs, Viktor Yanukovych, in 2004, became President of Ukraine from 2010-2014, and became an advocate of closer economic and military ties with Russia.

What led to his ouster?

His decision in 2013, to cancel the Ukraine-European Union Association Agreement, and be closer to Russia and the Eurasian Economic Union.

In the same year, Putin annexed Crimea, in a period in which Crimean’s also voted in a controversial referendum to accede to Russia. This referendum was not accepted by Ukraine.

Despite the civil war situation that prevailed at the time both the areas — Donetsk and Luhansk had their own referendums and then declared themselves as independent republics. At that time, they did not get recognized by Moscow as two “republics’’. Since then the two areas have remained in the grip of violence between Ukrainian forces and pro-Russia groups which are backed by Russian combatants.

About Minsk Protocol

Led by Germany and France, European powers took the initiative for peace talks. This gave rise to what is now known as the “Normandy format”. Under this format — Ukraine, Russia, and the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe, also called the Trilateral Contact group, started a dialogue.

On September 4, 2014, all together signed an agreement in Minsk, capital of Belarus.  The signatories to this agreement also were the leaders of the unrecognised Luhansk People’s Republic and Donetsk People’s Republic.

This agreement included a ceasefire and devolution of powers by Ukraine to these areas. However, this agreement failed to end the fighting and it collapsed as the Donetsk airport was taken over by the separatists.

In 2015, there was a second round of negotiations, and the Minsk II agreement was signed by the leaders of Russia, Ukraine, Germany and France. This was a much more elaborate agreement which included the ceasefire, and the holding of elections for local governance. This agreement was not implemented either.

Post February 21, 2022, Putin put his signature on the official decree of recognition of the two “republics” and this has paved the way for Russian troops now officially occupying both areas.