President Vladimir Putin signed a decree Monday recognizing the two breakaway regions of eastern Ukraine as independent states. He also gave a warning to Ukraine.
Recognition of the breakaway Ukrainian territory is a declaration by Russia that Moscow no longer considers Donetsk and Luhansk as part of Ukraine.
This could pave the way for Moscow to openly send military forces to both regions, arguing the move is intervening as an ally to protect them from Ukraine.
Putin said it was a long overdue response for "those who started the path of violence, bloodshed, lawlessness and did not recognize any other solution to the Donbass problem, except a military solution".
He demanded an immediate cessation of hostilities by Ukraine. "Otherwise, all responsibility for the possible continuation of the bloodshed will be entirely the responsibility of the ruling regime on Ukrainian territory," he stressed, as quoted by Reuters.
Putin signed the document after delivering astonishing verbal attacks on Ukraine in a televised speech that lasted nearly an hour.
According to Putin, Ukraine is a country without traditions of an independent state and a creation created by the founder of the Soviet Union, Vladimir Lenin. Since the Soviet collapse in 1991, Ukraine has taken advantage of Russia and turned it into an economic blackmailer.
