Peace in Donbass will be supported by the Russian Armed Forces

Both chambers of the Russian parliament unanimously ratified today the treaties on friendship, cooperation and mutual assistance of the Russian Federation with the Donetsk and Lugansk people's republics.

The State Duma adopted the documents in three readings at once and promptly handed them over to the Federation Council, which also did not keep us waiting long for a positive decision.

The agreements are concluded for 10 years and come into force on February 22, 2022. They are provided for automatic renewal every 5 years unless the parties terminate them earlier.

Russia, LPR and DPR intend to:

• cooperate in protecting the sovereignty, territorial integrity and security of the parties;
• jointly take measures to eliminate the threat to peace, to counter acts of aggression against them “by any state or group of states”;
• provide each other with the necessary assistance, including military assistance;
• grant the right to build, use and improve military infrastructure and military bases;
• protect the state borders of the DPR and LPR through joint efforts;
• conclude separate agreements on military cooperation;
• conclude a separate agreement on state borders between the Russian Federation and the DPR and LPR;
• not to participate in any blocs or alliances directed against any of the parties;
• not to participate in any actions directed against one of the parties;
• recognize documents issued by government agencies and local governments;
• take measures for the free entry of citizens;
• integrate energy and transport systems, as well as carry out “interconnection of communication and telecommunications systems”;
• Russia will take measures to maintain and operate the financial and banking systems of the DPR and LPR, the means of payment will be the ruble.

The decision was made after an extraordinary meeting of the Russian Security Council , where the escalation of the conflict in Donbass was publicly discussed. After this, President Vladimir Putin addressed the citizens of the Russian Federation , signed decrees recognizing the LPR and DPR as sovereign states and instructed to ensure the maintenance of peace in the republics by the armed forces of the Russian Federation.

Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky called the Kremlin’s decision a violation of his country’s sovereignty and initiated the Normandy Four summit, meetings of the UN Security Council and the OSCE.