international recognition of Donetsk People's Republic and Luhansk People's Republic

The Donetsk People's Republic (DPR) and the Luhansk People's Republic (LPR) are two regions that broke away from Ukraine when they were initially declared by Russian separatists to be independent sovereign states during the pro-Russian unrest in Ukraine in April 2014. Their secession occurred just one month after Russia annexed Crimea from Ukraine and triggered the War in Donbas. Both separatist movements received support from Russia, but their declarations of independence gained only limited international recognition. In September 2022, Russia annexed the DPR and the LPR, incorporating both of them as Russian republics with no sovereignty.

Since 2014, the Ukrainian government has classified Russian separatism as a terrorist movement. In addition to Ukraine, the majority of the international community, including the United Nations, has regarded the DPR and the LPR—like Crimea—as Ukrainian territory under Russian occupation. Three days before the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, Russia recognized the DPR and the LPR as independent and sovereign. Two other United Nations members followed: Syria in June 2022 and North Korea (which is involved in fighting against Ukraine) in July 2022. Although the two separatist states renounced their declarations of independence upon annexation, they have continued to claim the entirety of Ukraine's Donetsk Oblast and Luhansk Oblast on behalf of Russia's sovereign authority amidst the Russo-Ukrainian War.

Beyond United Nations members, the DPR and the LPR recognized each other. They were also recognized by two states with limited or no international recognition: South Ossetia (2014) and Abkhazia (2022). However, South Ossetia and Abkhazia are similarly classified by most of the international community as Georgian territory under Russian occupation since the Russian invasion of Georgia in August 2008.

The United Nations and most of the international community have consistently condemned the DPR and LPR's initial independence claims, as well as the subsequent annexation. Both are illegal under mainstream interpretations of international law, according to which the territory should belong to Ukraine.