Evening Medusa

Parliament ratifies friendship treaties with the DNR and LNR. The West imposes sanctions. Putin shames Kafka and Orwell

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This is Meduza's daily newsletter about the most important and interesting things that happened during the day. And today it is all dedicated to what is happening in the Donbass and around it.

How it all started

Last night (well, suddenly you were vacationing on a desert island and missed everything), Russian President Vladimir Putin released a video message in which he stated that he recognized the independence of the DPR and LPR. Here is a short summary of that speech.

What happened next: Russia

• The State Duma and the Federation Council unanimously ratified the treaties of friendship and mutual assistance with the republics of Donbass. During the discussion, of course, there were speeches about the "fosters of the American intelligence services" and all that. Look how it was.
• In the evening, Vladimir Putin addressed the Federation Council with a request to allow the use of troops outside of Russia. Senators almost immediately (and unanimously) supported this request.
• Putin said that Russia recognizes the DPR and LPR not within the boundaries of the territories they now control, but within the borders of the Lugansk and Donetsk regions .
• Putin said that Russia has no "imperial ambitions". “We foresaw speculation that Russia is going to restore the empire within the imperial borders. This is absolutely untrue,” the president said .
• The situation was commented by Alexei Navalny . He compared the recognition of the DPR and LPR with the entry of Soviet troops into Afghanistan and expressed the opinion that the main goal of the conflict is to divert the attention of the population from real problems.
• Against the backdrop of all this, the ruble first fell sharply, then recovered slightly. One way or another, it turned out to be the most volatile currency in the world.

What happened next: the world

The West predictably condemned the confession. Condemnation at the same time was varied - from demands to urgently "stop the aggressor" to statements that Putin "shamed Kafka and Orwell." Russia was also promised new sanctions; most of them will be announced in the very near future, but here is what has already happened:

• Germany has stopped the certification process for Nord Stream 2.
• The UK announced sanctions against Gennady Timchenko and the Rotenberg brothers.
• The media reported that 350 State Duma deputies who voted for recognition will fall under the new EU sanctions.
• The conflict was discussed at an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council. The most impressive speech was made by the representative of Kenya: using the example of Africa, he recalled that the separation of fraternal peoples by artificial borders in the past is not a reason for violence in the present. Here is her text .

What happened next: Ukraine

Oddly enough, almost nothing. Volodymyr Zelensky made a very short video address to the Ukrainians at night (beginning it with the phrase “We don’t have time for lectures on history”), in which he stated that Ukraine remains committed to a diplomatic solution to the issue and is not afraid of anyone. On the afternoon of February 22, the President of Ukraine announced that he would consider breaking off diplomatic relations with Russia.

And a bonus - a joint release of "What happened" and "Peppers and Gaase"

The signing of the decree recognizing the DPR and LPR was preceded by an open meeting of the Security Council of the Russian Federation, at which officials on camera “explained” to Putin the urgent need for such a step. Formally, the proposal was made by Dmitry Medvedev, and then all the other members of the Security Council spoke to Putin with their arguments.

In today's special issue , Vladislav Gorin discusses with Andrey Pertsev and Konstantin Gaaze how the meeting was being prepared, why Putin forced high-ranking officials on camera to support the recognition of the independence of the republics of Donbass, and whether this means that Putin will (again) take advantage of the foreign policy crisis to solve domestic problems.

Please stop! Your Medusa