The People’s Council (Parliament) of the self-proclaimed DPR adopted a law on the state border. The document will come into force after signing by the head of the unrecognized republic Denis Pushilin.

The text of the bill has not yet been published, but, as the chairman of the DPR parliament, Vladimir Bidevka, explained, the document establishes the borders of the republic within the Donetsk region.

“In this law, people living in the territory temporarily controlled by Ukraine are not forgotten, the border is determined by the territory of the Donetsk region, which was for the period of 2014. It provides that until the dispute between Ukraine and the DPR is settled, the border will go along the line of contact, ”the website of the People’s Council quoted Bidevka as saying.

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It is also noted that the bill does not contradict the conditions of the Minsk agreements. The head of the relevant committee of the DPR parliament, Vitaliy Kravets said that the document defines the legal and organizational basis of the border policy of the republic.

As explained in a RT commentary, MP of the DPR People’s Council, Miroslav Rudenko, according to the fundamental documents of the republic adopted in 2014, its border should coincide with the borders of the Donetsk region. This is recorded, in particular, in the declaration of the DPR on sovereignty.

“It is clear that there is now a demarcation line, but the fact of fixing these borders corresponds to all the fundamental documents of the republic,” the deputy explained.

Reintegration Scenarios

The vote on the bill was held ahead of the meeting in the Norman format, which is scheduled for December 9.

President of Ukraine Vladimir Zelensky has already prepared theses that he intends to uphold during the negotiations. This was told to journalists by the secretary of the National Security and Defense Council (NSDC) of Ukraine Aleksey Danilov. In Kiev, one of the priorities is the issue of the border with Russia: the Ukrainian side insists that the border territories of the self-proclaimed republics be transferred under the control of Ukraine.

“Until the Ukrainian border is returned, until the Ukrainian military stands there, many processes will be extremely difficult, I would say, almost impossible,” Danilov said.

  • President of Ukraine Vladimir Zelensky
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Among the other issues of concern to Kiev, the head of the National Security and Defense Council called the exchange of prisoners, as well as a ceasefire on the contact line of the warring parties.

Zelensky himself spoke about plans to discuss the restoration of control at the border during a trip to the Village of Lugansk. The politician also said that he hopes to agree on a serious ceasefire and a complete ceasefire in the Donbass.

In parallel, five scenarios for the reintegration of Donbass into Ukraine are being considered in Kiev, Danilov said. However, he did not disclose details.

“I can tell you: believe me, all these five scenarios - they should be only for the benefit of our country. Therefore, I am sure that everything will be fine with us, the victory will be ours. We will definitely return the borders of Donetsk and Lugansk regions, and we will certainly return our Crimea, ”he said.

Similar statements are made by the Ukrainian authorities regularly. In mid-October, the spokeswoman for the official representative of Kiev at the talks of the tripartite contact group in Minsk, Daria Olifer, declared the need to “dissolve” the self-proclaimed DPR and LPR - this, in her opinion, is a condition for Kiev to fulfill the political part of the Minsk agreements.

The DNR Foreign Ministry immediately responded to this, noting that the Kiev side is trying to avoid giving the republics of Donbass a special status according to the Steinmeier formula and interprets the concept of decentralization in its own way.

“The Ukrainian side should be aware that only the special status of Donbass, duly fixed at the constitutional level, is the only way for a long-term peaceful settlement of the conflict,” the DNR stressed.

According to the Minsk agreements, Ukraine should carry out constitutional reform, which implies decentralization of the country "taking into account the characteristics of certain areas of Donetsk and Lugansk regions, agreed with representatives of these areas." In addition, Kiev committed to grant these territories special status.

The parties agreed on an “immediate and comprehensive” ceasefire, as well as the withdrawal of all heavy weapons from the contact line. Another clause of the agreements signed in 2015 provides for a complete amnesty and a ban on the prosecution and punishment of persons in connection with “taking place in certain areas of Donetsk and Lugansk regions of Ukraine”.

The obligation of Kiev to grant self-proclaimed republics a special status is also enshrined in the Steinmeier formula, which Kiev and the unrecognized republics managed to agree only in October 2019. According to its provisions, the Ukrainian authorities must first grant the DPR and LPR a special status during the local elections in these areas, and if the vote is recognized by the OSCE as legitimate, it will be fixed on an ongoing basis.

However, under Poroshenko, Kiev was in no hurry to fulfill its obligations. Certain shifts occurred only after the Zelensky team came to power, who during the election called peace to be his main task, experts say. So, the parties still managed to start a withdrawal of forces in the area of ​​the settlements Petrovskoye and Zolotoe, although radical Ukrainian nationalists tried to disrupt this process.

The answer to the actions of Kiev

Nevertheless, the full implementation of the conditions of the Minsk Agreement by Kiev is not discussed, according to Donetsk. According to Miroslav Rudenko, the Ukrainian side, unlike the DPR, continues to evade compliance with the agreements. As for the law on the border adopted by the republican parliament on November 29, it will not interfere with a peaceful settlement, the deputy is sure.

  • Representatives of the militia of the Donetsk People's Republic (DPR) during a rehearsal of the Victory Parade in Donetsk
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“All the obligations undertaken by the DPR fulfilled. We expect some progress from that side, but there is no direct dialogue between the republics and representatives of Kiev. Until now, the authorities in Kiev have not decided to prevent the persecution (amnesty of participants in the events in the Donbass. - RT ). If this issue is discussed, then in an unacceptable vein: Ukraine decides for itself who to amnesty and who not. Kiev’s actions contradict the Minsk agreements. In May 2014, we proclaimed the republic, and now its construction continues. The republics spelled out in the Minsk agreements are not shied away. But we are entitled to resolve internal issues on our own, ”said Rudenko.

A similar point of view is shared by the deputy director of the Institute of CIS Countries Igor Shishkin. As the expert explained in a commentary to RT, even if the law on the state border of the DPR comes into force, it is unlikely to harm the peace process.

“The conflict has not been resolved over the past five years, not because of the position of the DPR and LPR, but because of Kiev’s reluctance to go for a peaceful settlement. Most likely, this law was a direct response to the actions and statements of the Ukrainian authorities, this is a serious signal to Kiev, ”the expert said.

According to Shishkin, the decision of the DPR parliament can also be associated with the upcoming negotiations in the Norman format.

“In Donetsk, they know that Kiev has some plans for the DPR and LPR, and that the Ukrainian side intends to interpret the terms of the Minsk agreements at its discretion. This law is the answer of Donbass to such plans, ”the expert believes.

A similar point of view is shared by Vladimir Shapovalov, deputy director of the Institute of History and Politics of Moscow State Pedagogical University.

“This is a completely natural situation, because in fact the inhabitants of the DPR never refused to participate in the fate of the territories of Donbass, which are now occupied by the Armed Forces of Ukraine. The process of peaceful settlement and reconciliation should affect not only relations between the DPR and LPR with Kiev, but also the situation in other areas of the Southeast, where Ukrainian troops are now deployed. The bill on the state border of the DPR was adopted on the eve of the next negotiations in the Norman format not by chance. Despite the fact that the Ukrainian authorities refuse direct dialogue with Donetsk, in Kiev they should know the position of the inhabitants of the self-proclaimed republic, ”the expert summed up.