Filippo Grandi
Residents self-proclaimed Donetsk and Lugansk national republics need documents, but this should not prevent the implementation of the Minsk agreements. This opinion was expressed by the UN high Commissioner for refugees Filippo Grandi in an interview to “Kommersant”, published on Tuesday, February 28.
“On the one hand, it is important that people have the documents. But, on the other hand, it is impossible that steps had been taken, which complicate the Minsk peace process… we Must remember that the main task — to reach a settlement,” said Grundy.
The Commissioner recalled the existence of the Nansen passports that the forerunner of the UN, the League of Nations, were given to persons without citizenship.
On 18 February the President of Russia Vladimir Putin has signed the decree about recognition of the Russian Federation of documents and license plates of vehicles issued to citizens of Ukraine and stateless persons permanently residing on the territories of separate districts of Donetsk and Lugansk regions. This decision will apply until a political settlement of the situation in the region.
Ukrainian leader Petro Poroshenko called this move of Moscow another proof of Russia’s violations of international law. In response, the Kremlin has said that Russia does not equal issued in the Donbass documents to the Ukrainian passports.