Russia recognized the sovereignty of the Donetsk and Luhansk People's Republics and ratified the Treaty of Friendship, Cooperation and Mutual Assistance.
The document will be valid for 10 years with the possibility of extension for five years.
“An important point: the agreement stipulates the intention of the parties to cooperate in the field of foreign policy, in the defense of sovereignty, territorial integrity and security, including by providing each other with the necessary assistance, including military ...”, said Deputy Foreign Minister Andrei Rudenko on 22 February.
RT spoke with those who remained in the republics and those who evacuated, and found out what they think about Russia's decision and how the recognition of the LDNR will change their lives.
"Like a mountain fell off my shoulders"
Yana Varapanova was born and raised in Mariupol.
In Ukraine, she buried her parents, her brothers, sisters and nephews still live there.
At the same time, she calls herself and her children "deeply Russian people."
In 2015, when the first lull came in the Donbass after fierce fighting, she and her children settled on the line of demarcation, in a village between Makeevka and Yasinovataya.
Yana was then 44 years old, and her daughter and son were 8 and 11 years old.
© Photo from personal archive
“I just realized that raising children next to the Nazis, in such an anti-Russian policy, is incompatible with my upbringing, my convictions.
We sold a good apartment for next to nothing.
We moved to a house without water, without heating.
Here we experienced a period of devastation after the fighting.
Here we try to live, ”she tells RT.
The woman works as a teacher of physics and astronomy at the Yasinovatsky College of the Donetsk Academy of Management and Public Administration.
She did not go to the evacuation because of her pet cat Amur.
They could not make a veterinary passport for the animal, and the children flatly refused to leave it alone.
The whole family watched the Russian president's address last night.
“When Putin said that there was only one way out - to recognize the republics, I burst into tears.
Like a mountain lifted from my shoulders.
I know that now for sure: not a single bullet will fly through here.
It is clear that Ukraine is not suicidal in order to get in touch with Russia, ”Yana is sure.
According to her, since the second half of the night of February 22, shelling stopped near their house - the woman and her children were able to sleep peacefully.
“A couple of days ago they shot very hard, last night too, but then it somehow calmed down.
The rest of the night was spent quietly.
And it's quiet now too.
I'm standing on the balcony: there are more cars on the street than before.
It is felt that life begins to boil, ”says Yana.
The woman is sure that most of her relatives and friends who evacuated to Russia will return soon.
At least in order to reunite with their families: “After all, they left without men.
This is the most important reason for people to come back.”
“The worst thing is the sound of a whistle”
Olga Ocheretnaya, a 36-year-old resident of Stakhanov, has five children.
Her eldest son is now 18, and her youngest child is three years old.
Last year, the head of the LPR awarded the family with the Parental Glory medal.
According to her, they follow the latest news very closely with the whole family.
“The whole family watched the appeal of our heads: all my five children and next to me is mommy.
They were very worried, and when Putin finally signed the contract, they sobbed with happiness,” says Olga.
According to her, now the residents of the city only talk about it on the streets and in social networks.
The woman is sure that the recognition of the LDNR will help establish peace.
At the same time, she does not exclude that first "tough battles" will begin in the republics before reaching the goal.
“Of course, we are afraid of the aggravation of the conflict, just like other people.
Especially if they start using Grads (missile launchers with a range of up to 40 km
. - RT
) or bombing from the air, then we definitely won’t get out of the basements, as in 2014-15, ”she says.
On the night of February 22, it was rather quiet in Stakhanov, but during the day the shelling became more frequent, Olga says.
According to her, during the eight years of the war, all residents have already learned to determine by the sound when you can stay in the apartment, and when you need to run to the shelter.
© Photo from personal archive
“By sound, we can determine which weapon is being fired and what caliber the shells have.
The louder and louder, the worse.
But the worst thing is the whistle.
If you hear him, you definitely need to lie down on the street or go down to the bomb shelter, ”says the interlocutor.
The woman explains that she was thinking about evacuating to Russia, but the eldest son flatly refused to leave the LNR.
The young man is studying to be a doctor.
So far, he has not decided on his plans for the future: finish his studies or go straight to the army.
"Life starts from scratch"
The news that Russia now considers the DPR and LPR to be independent states found Sveta and her five-year-old daughter Varya (names changed) on the Taganrog-Belgorod train.
In Belgorod, Sveta has no acquaintances or friends, but volunteers offered her to go there when she and other refugees were brought to the city station.
RT
“Recognition will establish peace in the LDNR: people will at least be calmer, because Russia will protect us if anything.
But at the same time, now the republics are such a gasket between Ukraine and Russia.
It is not clear how the world community will react to the act of the Russian Federation.
If the conflict continues to grow, then the fighting will unfold just in Donetsk.
It is scary to become a place where the third world war will take place, ”says Sveta.
She already has experience in evacuation - in 2014, the girl lived in Crimea for a year and a half.
And now she really wants the evacuation to end quickly.
“I am 30 years old, I have a small child, I am divorcing my husband, and life is starting from scratch.
I work remotely, I have a good salary, but now I can’t rent a house all the time.
This is a very scary feeling that you were pulled out of the house, abandoned, and you have to somehow swim and survive without help, ”she says.
Sveta's daughter perceives their forced evacuation "as a journey, not an escape."
According to the girl, she and her ex-husband tried not to tell the child that she lives where there is a war.
“After we left for Russia, I try to create an atmosphere of travel for my daughter: I say that we are going to an unfamiliar city, to walk and learn something new,” says Sveta.
“This news is a holiday for us”
Olga was evacuated from the DPR along with her five-year-old daughter.
Her husband, a military man, a senior sergeant, has been participating in the battles for the DPR since 2014.
As soon as the DPR authorities announced the evacuation of the civilian population, he sent his wife and daughter to the border, while he himself remained to serve in Novoazovsk in the south of the republic.
Although there were no battles or shelling in the city itself and on the outskirts, the man decided that it was not worth waiting.
“My daughter knows that there are shootings near her city, she worries about the grandmothers and great-grandmother who stayed there.
I tried very hard not to tell her about the war, but yesterday I told her that Russia recognizes the DPR and LPR.
I think this news is better than all the holidays and congratulations for all of us.
We have been waiting for this for eight years.
We thought, of course, that this would all happen earlier, ”says the interlocutor.
At the same time, Olga fears that if Russia sends troops into the DPR, and Ukraine decides to respond militarily, a full-scale war will begin again in the DPR: “There is a feeling of anxiety, but at least there is something to count on.”
“Soon a friend of Donbass will come to me and we will rent an apartment together.
We will definitely spend a couple of months in Russia until everything calms down in the DPR.
I will send my daughter to a kindergarten for now, I will look for a job - in Novoazovsk I was a salesman in a store.
I really want to return now, but until everything is safe, we will not take risks, ”says the interlocutor.