The announcement by President Putin of Russia that he recognised the breakaway Russian backed Ukrainian provinces of Donetsk and Luhansk as separate states, was in one sense, only a confirmation of the facts on the ground ....
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| Russia Has Recognised The Rebel Regions As States |
..... Russia had backed the Russian rebels in those two Ukrainian provinces since 2014, and was never going to allow the Ukrainian forces to recapture the land currently held by the rebels.
