"In the interests of determining our international legal standing and, as a result, the possibility for full-fledged resistance to the military aggression of Ukrainian authorities, to prevent casualties among civilians, the destruction of infrastructure and housing stock, on behalf of the entire population of the Donetsk People's Republic, we ask you to recognise the DPR as an independent, democratic, legal and social state," Pushilin said in an address Monday.
Pasechnik made an identical appeal to Putin on Monday. "Dear Vladimir Vladimirovich, in order to prevent the deaths of the civilian population of the republic, 300,000 of whom are Russian citizens, I ask you to recognize the sovereignty and independence of the Lugansk People's Republic," he said.