Vladimir Putin
Kiev with the help of the blockade itself separates Donbass from Ukraine, said President of Russia Vladimir Putin at press conference following talks with German Chancellor Angela Merkel in Sochi. His words leads RIA Novosti on Tuesday, may 2.
“As for the events in the South-East of Ukraine, is the result of a coup d’etat, the unconstitutional change of power in Kiev. (…) This is the Ukrainian authorities have organized the blockade of the territory,” said the President, stressing that no one else Donbass has separated.
Putin also noted that Russia still supplies a significant number of products for the Ukrainian industry.
On 20 April, the press Secretary of Russian President Dmitry Peskov denied information about the existence of a plan for the integration of Donbass to Russia. Thus he commented on a publication by Bloomberg.
On 15 March the Council of national security and defense of Ukraine confirmed complete cessation of transport links with the republics of Donbass to return in the jurisdiction of the Ukrainian enterprises located on their territories.
At rallies in early April 2014, the residents of Donetsk and Lugansk regions of Ukraine, do not recognise the legitimacy of the February coup, and declared creation of the people’s republics DPR and LPR. After that, the Ukrainian authorities launched a military operation against the breakaway republics. The victims of the conflict that continues to this day, according to the UN report, were more than 10 thousand people. In January 2015 the Ukrainian authorities have banned the import into the territory they consider occupied, food and medical supplies.