Russian leader Putin declares Ukraine’s rebel regions Donetsk and Luhansk ‘independent states’

Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a decree on February 21, 2022, recognising Ukraine’s separatist regions as independent states. The “people’s republics” of Donetsk and Luhansk have been occupied by Moscow-backed rebels since 2014. Russian troops have now been ordered to enter Ukraine for “peacekeeping functions” in both regions. Putin’s announcement drew criticism and vows of new sanctions from the US and its Western allies, as fears intensify that the move could unleash a major war.