Russian president Vladimir Putin pledged to sign an order recognising the Donetsk and Luhansk People's Republics (DPR and LPR) in a TV address on Monday (21 February), escalating a crisis that could lead to the biggest war in Europe since 1945.
Putin made the announcement in a rambling and belligerent speech about history in which he claimed Ukraine was not a real country, but one "created" by Russia in the 1920s on "ancient Russian lands".
"So you [Ukraine] want de-communisatio...
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Andrew Rettman is EUobserver's foreign editor, writing about foreign and security issues since 2005. He is Polish, but grew up in the UK, and lives in Brussels. He has also written for The Guardian, The Times of London, and Intelligence Online.