Lugansk is committed to holding the referendum on joining Russia when the conditions are also met in Donetsk

July 25 () –

The authorities of the self-proclaimed Lugansk People’s Republic (PLR) have recognized their willingness to hold a referendum on joining Russia only when the conditions of autonomy for it are also met in neighboring Donetsk.

“Donetsk helped the RPL to recover its territories. Today the RPL is helping Donetsk to recover its territories. And, of course, the people in these territories have the right to be involved in this event (the referendum to join Russia),” explained the speaker of the Lugansk Chamber, Alexei Kariakin.

Thus, Kariakin has recognized that it would be “dishonest” to hold the plebiscite without also having the participation of his “brothers” from Donetsk, whom he says must “wait”, according to the Russian news agency TASS.

The official of the self-proclaimed republic of Lugansk, whose independence is only recognized by Russia and some of its closest allies, recalled the parallel history that both regions of the Ukrainian Donbas have experienced, which since 2014 have opposed the control of the Ukrainian government.

“Let’s remember the story of 2014: Both Donetsk and Lugansk opposed arbitrariness from kyiv at the same time (…) Today we are together to protect and liberate our territories,” Kariakin explained.

In the context of the war in Ukraine after the Russian invasion, the Lugansk militias and Russian troops have completely taken control of the region, while in Donetsk the situation is moving towards Moscow’s interests.

Thus, in this context, both regions have already shown their willingness to hold a referendum on joining Russia, which also has the approval of the Moscow authorities.