The Russian Foreign Ministry stated on Tuesday that Moscow recognises the Donbass republics "within the borders where the LPR and DPR authorities exercise their powers", Deputy Foreign Minister Andrei Rudenko said.
At the same time, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov stated that Russia recognises the DPR and LPR within the borders in which they proclaimed independence.
The situation in Donbass remains extremely tense, with Ukrainian troops shelling the territories of the republics and prompting a mass evacuation of thousands to Russia. Only in the DPR, from 18 to 20 February, the OSCE Special Monitoring Mission confirmed a total of 2,158 ceasefire violations, including around 1,100 explosions.
Following an appeal from the Donetsk and Lugansk People's Republics, Moscow recognised both as independent nations. President Vladimir Putin noted that the move should have occurred "long ago", adding that Kiev should immediately stop the escalation - otherwise the Ukrainian government would be responsible for any possible bloodshed in Donbass.