A draft resolution on consultations with the Russian Foreign Ministry on the issue of recognizing the self-proclaimed Donetsk and Luhansk People's Republics was submitted to the State Duma.

“To hold consultations with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation on the draft appeal of the State Duma of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation “To the President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin on the need to recognize the Donetsk People’s Republic and the Lugansk People’s Republic” and discuss the said draft appeal,” the document says.

The draft is accompanied by the text of an appeal to Putin on the recognition of the DPR and LPR, drawn up by a group of deputies led by the leader of the Communist Party of the Russian Federation Gennady Zyuganov.

In the appeal, the deputies noted that they consider the recognition of the republics "reasonable and morally justified."

“Such recognition will create grounds for guaranteeing the security and protection of their peoples from external threats and for implementing a policy of genocide against the inhabitants of the republics, as well as for strengthening international peace and regional stability in accordance with the purposes and principles of the UN Charter,” the document says.

The project was initiated by State Duma deputies from the United Russia party, First Deputy Chairman of the Committee on CIS Affairs, Eurasian Integration and Relations with Compatriots Viktor Vodolatsky and Deputy Chairman of the Committee Artyom Turov. 

As Vodolatsky explained in an interview with RT, the issue of the proposal of the Communist Party of the Russian Federation to parliament on recognizing the DPR and LPR and sending this decision to the president was considered on February 14 at a committee meeting.

He clarified that the project submitted by the Communist Party of the Russian Federation, according to the current procedure, if supported by the State Duma, should be sent to the presidential administration, from there to the main legal department, and then to the Foreign Ministry for conclusion.

After approval, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs sends the document back in the same chain. 

In turn, representatives of United Russia proposed to speed up the process and send the resolution immediately to the Foreign Ministry, as a foreign policy bloc, “responsible today for the processes that are taking place around Donbass, for the work of the Minsk agreements and for the work of the Normandy format.”

“Our proposal is due to the fact that today the situation that is developing around the unrecognized republics can get out of control.

Because a huge amount of weapons today, NATO countries and the United States sent to the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

Naturally, this weapon must explode and fire somewhere.

Because those who supply it will definitely force Ukraine to use it.

On the example of the shelling that is taking place today, we see that the situation is escalating.

A huge number of our compatriots, Russian citizens live there,” he said.

The deputy noted that the State Duma is in favor of the issue of the DPR and LPR being resolved as soon as possible.

“People cannot be in a suspended and stressful state for eight years.

A generation has already grown up that lives under the whistle of bullets and exploding shells.

Therefore, we must save our compatriots,” he concluded.

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In turn, Senator Olga Kovitidi, a member of the Federation Council Committee on Constitutional Legislation and State Building, said in a conversation with RT that against the background of the escalation of the Ukrainian crisis, the recognition of the DPR and LPR by Russia has geopolitical significance.

“Ukraine’s failure to comply with the Minsk agreements adopted in 2015 creates legal validity and consistency with the norms of international law for considering the options submitted by the State Duma in accordance with the established procedure for the draft appeal to the President of the Russian Federation on recognition of the LPR and DPR,” she said.

Meanwhile, State Duma Speaker Vyacheslav Volodin specified that the issue of appealing to the president about the need to recognize the DPR and LPR would be considered on February 15 on the basis of a rating vote.

He confirmed that the lower chamber is considering two draft resolutions on an appeal to the head of state.

The difference between them lies in the fact that the first one is sent to the president immediately after adoption, and the second one is first sent to the Foreign Ministry and other government structures, "after which it will be possible to return to its consideration."

“The issue is extremely important and responsible.

Washington is escalating tension, supplying weapons to Ukraine together with European countries, Kiev continues not to comply with the Minsk agreements.

All this poses threats and risks to the lives of our citizens and compatriots living in the DPR and LPR, ”Volodin confirmed.

The situation in Donbass

On Monday, the deputy head of the People's Militia Department of the DPR, Eduard Basurin, said that the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU) had prepared a plan for the invasion of the territory of the Donetsk and Lugansk People's Republics.

“The General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine has already prepared a plan for the invasion of the territories of the republics, it will soon be approved by the Security Council of Ukraine,” he said.

According to Basurin, Ukraine is gathering additional units and military formations to the Donbass and is starting to train and send sabotage groups that should work within the city limits.

“In principle, Ukraine, under the slogans of peace, is really preparing for war,” he said.

Deputy Chief of the Main Operations Directorate of the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces Stanislav Gadzhimagomedov, in turn, noted that Western countries are provoking Ukraine into a scenario of establishing control over the Donbass and Crimea by force.

According to him, the West is making Ukraine a state hostile to Russia, creating on its territory a springboard for NATO troops.

Director of the Department of the Situation and Crisis Center of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Yuri Gorlach said that Russia does not exclude provocations against Donbass by "autonomous actors".

The representative of the Foreign Ministry stressed that there is a lot of speculation and escalation of tension from the West around the situation in Ukraine.