A new state was born in the southeast of Ukraine. "Empire" of the DPR: how Novorossiya turned into Little Russia Territory of Novorossiya

The self-proclaimed Donetsk and Luhansk People's Republics signed an agreement on merging into the Union of People's Republics - Novorossiya, the Ukrainian edition of correspondent.net reports.

The Congress of Delegates of the South-Eastern Regions of Ukraine was held on Saturday, May 24, behind closed doors at the Shakhtar Plaza Hotel in Donetsk.
The unification document was signed by the Prime Minister of the Donetsk People's Republic Alexander Borodai and the head of the Lugansk People's Republic Alexei Karyakin.

The new state will be called Novorossiya. It will be open to the entry of other "people's republics". The Union will be managed by a special council, which will include three representatives of each people's republic - Donetsk and Luhansk. According to the statement of the people's governor of the Donetsk region Pavel Gubarev, six more regions of Ukraine are planned to join the new state "Novorossiya": Dnepropetrovsk, Zaporozhye, Odessa, Nikolaev, Kharkiv and Kherson.

Separation of these regions will take place in the same way as in the Donetsk and Lugansk regions - through referendums, Gubarev said.

On the sidelines of the congress, there was an opinion that Kharkiv region is ready for such a referendum more than other regions, informs RIA News .

Earlier at the congress, it was decided to create a socio-political association "People's Front", which, according to the plan of the organizers, will unite supporters of federalization from all regions of Ukraine.

Kyiv media and social networks are actively discussing information about the “breakthrough” of trucks that crossed the border into the territory of the DPR with Russian volunteers. Maidan propaganda in a fright calls them either Chechens or Ossetians. Someone remembered the "Abkhazian agency" ANNA-News, after which the general vote now considers the arrivals as Abkhazians. Logic is personally inaccessible to me - but let there be Abkhazians:

The frustrated schenevmerliki accuse the leadership of the Ukrainian Air Force of betrayal, which was afraid to give the command to destroy the convoy from the air:

One way or another, but the presidential elections in Ukraine in the East are clearly of lesser importance. At the same time, today Putin more than transparently hinted that he considers the future president of Ukraine as a "transitional figure":

It is clear that such a temporary status does not make it possible to treat such a president with all seriousness, any actions of Russia will be forced to take into account the limited capacity of such a leader.

The situation is gradually beginning to take shape, although Putin's hint that the political struggle in Kyiv will inevitably intensify can only mean that Moscow does not completely rule out further chaos in Ukraine.

According to the document, the self-proclaimed republics retained their independence.

Historically, Novorossia was the name given to the territories of the Northern Black Sea region, which were annexed to the Russian Empire as a result of the Russo-Turkish wars in the second half of the 18th century. After the revolution, the lands of Novorossia were divided between the formed Ukrainian SSR and the Russian SFSR.

At the congress in Donetsk, the "United National Front" was created, which was supposed to operate in the south-east of Ukraine and unite the supporters of federalization.

“The declaration assumes that the DPR and LPR, as independent states, create an alliance on the basis of this joint declaration. The constitution of the Union of People's Republics is planned to be adopted three months after the adoption of the constitutions of the Donetsk People's Republic and the Lugansk People's Republic. The Union of People's Republics is ready to consider proposals for joining international unions, associations, associations.

The interests of Novorossiya in the union were supposed to be represented by the political movement "Novorossiya". It was announced that the purpose of the union was cooperation in the economic, military and other spheres.

“We do not recognize the President and Parliament of Ukraine. The Donetsk and Lugansk People's Republics are independent states. This is my position. Therefore, we will recognize the government and the elected president only from the position if they are ready to recognize the independence of the republics of Donbass. And second, they must immediately withdraw troops from our people's republics and stop any hostilities."

The head of the People's Militia of Donbass Pavel Gubarev on his Facebook page

Oleg Tsarev was elected Speaker of the Parliament of the Union of People's Republics. The union had its own constitution, in the text of which the CHP was proclaimed "a democratic, confederate, rule of law state, where the rights of citizens are recognized and protected."

Russia about Novorossiya

The territory of southeastern Ukraine was named Novorossiya during Vladimir Putin's direct line. “Another thing is the center, east, southeast of Ukraine. I also spoke about this just now, about Novorossia, which, of course, is rooted in the Russian state, and these are people with a slightly different mentality, ”said the president, commenting on the situation in Ukraine.

The term "Novorossia" in relation to the territories of the DPR and LPR was used in the report of the Russian Foreign Ministry dated September 25, 2014 on the meeting of Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov with US Secretary of State John Kerry the day before. “The situation in Ukraine was discussed in the context of ongoing efforts to ensure a sustainable ceasefire in the southeast and to establish a direct dialogue between the authorities in Kyiv and the leadership of Novorossiya in the context of their implementation of the Minsk agreements on the basis of the peace initiatives of Russian President V.V. Putin,” the document says.

At the end of 2014, the Levada Center conducted a survey "What is Novorossiya?". 46% of Russians answered that this is a historically formed region in the south of Russia, 25% - that this is a historical term that does not mean anything today, 8% consider Novorossia a "myth invented now in Moscow", and another 21% of respondents found it difficult to answer.

On May 31, the official flag of Novorossia was approved - a scarlet rectangular panel with an azure St. Andrew's cross with a silver border - a modified flag of the Russian fleet. On June 1, it was posted in front of the building of the Donetsk Regional Administration.

Photo: Nikolay Muravyov / TASS

The Novorossia project was supposed to cover nine regions of Ukraine: Kharkiv, Dnepropetrovsk, Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporozhye, Kherson, Nikolaev, Odessa. According to the head of Gubarev, it was planned to separate the regions through referendums. Despite their territorial claims, in fact, the leadership of Novorossia from the moment of its declaration controlled only part of the Luhansk and Donetsk regions.

On May 18, 2015, in an interview with the Vechernyaya Makeevka newspaper, DPR Foreign Minister Alexander Kofman announced the completion of the Novorossiya project. He explained this by the reluctance of some regions to unite.

“As for the Novorossiya project ... due to the fact that the popular explosion occurred earlier than we planned, since we could not keep the population at the rallies, our supporters in other regions rose up earlier than expected - in Odessa, Kharkov. As a result, more than 40 of our guys died in Odessa, many activists were arrested in Kharkov, and the republics that were supposed to be created in these regions were beheaded. Therefore, the Novorossia project is closed for some time - until a new political elite grows up in all these regions, capable of leading the movement. Well, we have no right to impose our opinion on Kharkov, Zaporozhye, Odessa.”

Speaker of the Parliament of Novorossia Oleg Tsarev specified that the project was frozen due to the fact that the creation of Novorossia violates the Minsk agreements signed by the leadership of the DPR and LPR with Ukraine. He also added that the project could be resumed "if Kyiv violates the declared truce, if there is an escalation of hostilities."

Project "Little Russia"

On July 18, 2017, the head of the DPR Alexander Zakharchenko on the creation of Little Russia with its capital in Donetsk.

“We are all here to talk about the future. We offer a plan for the reintegration of the country through the law and the constitution. We must build a new country in which the concepts of conscience and honor are not forgotten. We offer the people of Ukraine a peaceful way out of this difficult situation, without war. This is our last offer not only to Ukrainians, but to all countries that supported the civil war in Donbass. I am convinced that we will do everything possible and impossible.”

Territory

According to Zakharchenko, Little Russia will include 19 regions of the former Ukraine (excluding Crimea). The territory of the declared new state may be about 577 thousand square meters. km.

Now the area of ​​individual districts of Donetsk and Lugansk regions with a special procedure for self-government is more than 15 thousand square meters. km - about a third of the total area of ​​Donetsk and Lugansk regions. In addition to Donetsk and Lugansk, the list of settlements under the control of separatists in the Donbas includes 22 cities of regional significance. In February 2017, the head of the DPR Alexander Zakharchenko signed a decree establishing the status of a state border for the line of contact between the DPR and Ukraine. The line of contact is defined as a conditional demarcation between the territory where settlements are located under the control of the state authorities of Ukraine and the territory under the control of the state bodies of the unrecognized DPR.

Flag

Zakharchenko called the flag of Bogdan Khmelnitsky the flag of the proclaimed state.

build

Little Russia was proclaimed a federal state with broad autonomy for the regions. The central government is in charge of the federal budget, the army, special services, customs, the Central Bank, the tax police, the environmental situation, as well as the basic standards of education and medicine. Zakharchenko noted that in order to adopt a new constitution throughout the territory of the proclaimed state, it is proposed to introduce a state of emergency for up to three years.

Principles and Objectives

When preparing the constitution, it is proposed to rely on the principle of military neutrality, traditional values, "which are based on the Orthodox picture of the world", with the equality of traditional religions.

It is also proposed to use as a principle the refusal to raise the retirement age, freezing and a possible reduction in housing and communal services tariffs. If the EU agrees, it is proposed to maintain the visa-free regime introduced in 2017.

Economy

Little Russia, as conceived by the drafters of the constitutional act, should become an economic “bridge” between “East and West, North and South”, resume participation in the CIS, take a course towards joining the Union State of Russia and Belarus, and also cooperate with the EAEU. It is planned to create state concerns in key industries.

The Little Russian province was created as part of the Russian Empire in 1764 after the liquidation of the Hetmanate. In 1765-1773 the city of Glukhov was the administrative center of the province, then the center was briefly moved to Kozelets, and in 1775 to Kyiv. However, already in the autumn of 1781, the Little Russian province was divided into Novgorod-Seversk, Chernigov and Kiev governorships.

In 1796, the Little Russian province was recreated, and this time it included not only the territory of the three governorships, but also the environs of Poltava and Kremenchug. At the same time, Kyiv was withdrawn from the province, and Chernigov took its place as the provincial center.

In 1802, the Little Russian province was divided into the Chernigov and Poltava provinces, which were part of the Little Russian Governor General, to which the Kharkov province was later attached. The residence of the governor-general until 1837 was Poltava, and from 1837 until the abolition of the governor-general in 1856 - Kharkov.

After 1856, the name "Little Russia" until 1917 was semi-officially used for the collective designation of Volyn, Kyiv, Podolsk, Kharkov, Poltava and Chernigov provinces.

Despite the fact that the message on the portal "News of the Donetsk Republic" said that the decision to create Little Russia was made jointly by the authorities of the DPR and LPR, the LPR denied its participation in the project. Chairman of the People's Council of the LPR Vladimir Degtyarenko that the authorities of the self-proclaimed republic did not participate in the signing of the document. In addition, he added that he did not consider the creation of Little Russia appropriate.

The President of Ukraine Petro Poroshenko, commenting on the initiative of Zakharchenko, that Little Russia is waiting for the same fate as the project to create Novorossiya. A recording of his speech appeared on his Twitter page, in which he talks about Russia's desire to split Ukraine in half with the help of the Novorossiya project.

“This project is completely closed. The new army of Ukraine stopped the Russian aggression. When I was elected president, the entire Donbas was occupied by Russia. We have liberated two-thirds of the territory of Donbass, including Severodonetsk, Lysychansk, Kramatorsk, Slavyansk, Mariupol and many other cities. We have destroyed Russia's dream of Novorossiya," Poroshenko said.

Two sources close to the presidential administration told RBC that Zakharchenko on the creation of Little Russia was put forward without the consent of the Kremlin.

Resonant statements by Alexander Zakharchenko

About the assault on Kyiv

The head of the self-proclaimed DPR, Alexander Zakharchenko, in October 2016, on the air of the Russia 1 channel, said that the militias were ready to storm Kyiv. Commenting on these statements, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov admitted that "Russia has influence on the representatives of Donbass, but this influence is not unlimited."

On the military seizure of areas of Donbass controlled by Ukraine

In February 2017, Zakharchenko expressed his opinion about the readiness of the militias to liberate the areas of Donbass controlled by Ukraine by military means, if this cannot be done by political means. Dmitry Peskov then criticized the words of the head of the DPR, saying that this contradicts the Minsk agreements.

On the referendum on joining Russia

In March 2017, the head of the self-proclaimed Lugansk People's Republic (LPR), Igor Plotnitsky, announced that he was in favor of holding a referendum in the Donbass on joining Russia. Alexander Zakharchenko also said that he does not rule out holding a plebiscite on joining Russia and the DPR, but believes that "everything has its time." There was no reaction from the Kremlin, but shortly before Plotnitsky’s statement, Dmitry Peskov said that the Kremlin was not considering the scenario of integrating the self-proclaimed DPR and LPR into Russia.

On the trade blockade of Ukraine and reorientation to Russia

In the same March, the head of Zakharchenko imposed a commercial blockade on Kyiv. “We cut all ties with Ukraine, with which we are at war,” said the head of the DPR. — Yes, they sold coal to get money and pay wages here. But due to the fact that we have learned to live in a blockade, we are declaring a blockade of Ukraine.” He explained that the products manufactured in the DPR will be supplied to Russia. In February 2017, the leaders of the LPR and DPR also made statements about the termination of coal supplies to Ukraine - then, when asked whether it was possible to reorient the products of Donbass enterprises to Russia, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov replied: “I can’t say that now.” ​

In chapter

In the throes and blood of armed confrontation in the south-east of Ukraine, the process of forming a new state entity is underway. On May 13, after the referenda on the sovereignty of the Donetsk and Lugansk regions, their leadership turned to other Ukrainian regions with a proposal to “restore statehood on the basis of democracy and federalism within the framework of the creation of the Federal Republic of Novorossiya.” So far, this call has been answered in three regions - Kharkov, Odessa and Nikolaev. Preparations for plebiscites similar to those in Donbass have already begun there. Next in line are Zaporozhye, Kherson and Dnepropetrovsk regions. The Pridnestrovian Moldavian Republic (PMR) may also join Novorossia if Moscow leaves unanswered the requests of hundreds of thousands of residents of the unrecognized state for reunification with Russia. But today there is no doubt that our country will recognize Novorossiya as a full-fledged state.

Novorossia has neither clear boundaries, nor a consolidated leadership, nor even a single budget. All this is so. But there is still something important in the new state formation. First, a well-equipped and well-motivated army. It consists of the People's Militia of Donbass formed in Donetsk, which, according to the co-chairman of the Presidium of the Donetsk People's Republic Miroslav Rudenko, has 27 thousand bayonets, as well as from the Luhansk People's Army of the South-East, in which, according to the people's governor of the Luhansk region Valery Bolotov, allegedly they are on the allowance of 30 thousand volunteers. A significant part of them know firsthand about the war, being veterans of the army and special services. Considering that official Kyiv has so far managed to put under arms a little more than 10 thousand soldiers and officers of the regular army and the same number of National Guardsmen - volunteers recruited in the western regions among adherents of local nationalist organizations, then the alignment of forces is impressive. And secondly, the Donbass provides about half (according to other sources, more than a third) of all revenues to the Ukrainian budget - this means that Novorossia has a strong material base. The mining of coking coal, the production of zinc, mercury, copper and brass rolled products, nitrogen and phosphate fertilizers, soda, organic synthesis chemicals, diesel locomotives and railway cars - all this is today's Donbass. Just imagine how viable a new state formation can be. In Kyiv, they have already presented it - that's why they sent troops to Donetsk and Luhansk.

The not-yet-formed Novorossia already has a leader that suits everyone

President Vladimir Putin was the first to recall the name Novorossiya in connection with the current Ukrainian events, speaking on the “straight line” on April 17. “Novorossia – Kharkiv, Lugansk, Donetsk, Kherson, Nikolaev, Odessa – was not part of Ukraine in tsarist times. These are all territories transferred in the 1920s by the Soviet government.” And less than a month later, the leader of the South-East movement and presidential candidate Oleg Tsarev announced the creation of the Federal Republic of Novorossiya, consisting of eight regions of Ukraine. “The border of the new state practically coincides with the Novorossiysk province, which existed in tsarist times,” Tsarev explained, noting that the formation of a new state entity will be completed “no later than this autumn.”

It is extremely important that it was Tsarev who announced the creation of Novorossiya - not just a current politician, yesterday's candidate for the presidency of Ukraine and a deputy of the Rada, but also an informal successor to President Viktor Yanukovych, and not, say, one of the so-called people's governors. The fact of Tsarev's direct participation in the creation of Novorossia not only adds legitimacy to the ongoing process. Tsarev becomes a link between the local elites, who are well acquainted with him and tend to trust him, and the new leadership of Donbass, which is considered by a large part of the elite to be “self-proclaimed” and not trustworthy. Take the richest man in Ukraine, Rinat Akhmetov, whose personal fortune is estimated at about $22 billion. Possessing remarkable political flair, Akhmetov is well aware that the paths of Kyiv and Donbass have diverged forever. It was this understanding that became the reason that for several months now the oligarch, according to some information, may have been financing supporters of federalism, without advertising what is happening in front of Kyiv. Nevertheless, Akhmetov does not yet trust the people's government and fears that it will be able to "dispossess" him if he so desires. But Akhmetov has Tsarev, whom he has known for a long time and whom he personally approved a year ago as Viktor Yanukovych's successor. At the same time, Tsarev actually coordinates the work of people's governments and, thus, we believe, has the opportunity to influence the adoption of decisions that Akhmetov needs. Now it’s clear why the “third shifts” at the Akhmetov mines, who instead of work go out to patrol the cities and towns of Donbass, have no problems “closing” their work sheets, and even with considerable bonuses, as if they worked hard with jackhammers, and did not keep peace fellow citizens with machine guns in their hands? As for the information that Akhmetov allegedly finances the purchase of weapons for the volunteers of Novorossiya, it is difficult to say whether this is true or not.

On this topic

The ex-president of Georgia and the former governor of the Odessa region, Mikheil Saakashvili, said that he was ready to return to Ukraine after a corresponding call from Vladimir Zelensky.

Akhmetov, of course, takes risks. But Tsarev, probably, risks the most. In Kyiv now and then there are voices calling for him to be deprived of his status as a people's deputy, which guarantees personal immunity. In two months, a dozen assassination attempts were made on the leader of the South-East. But it is no coincidence that after Tsarev announced the creation of Novorossia, he exclaimed: “The Rubicon has been passed!”

It is more profitable for Kyiv to recognize Novorossia than to surrender to its advanced detachments

Last week, the coordinating council of the "South-East" movement adopted a resolution on the protection of sovereignty and the organization of public administration in the Donetsk and Lugansk regions. In it, in particular, it is proposed to apply "to other regions of Ukraine with a proposal to restore statehood within the framework of the creation of the Federal Republic of Novorossiya." In the meantime, other subjects are being identified, carefully weighing, according to the indestructible Ukrainian habit, on whose side the force will be, the Donbass militias, through the mouth of Deputy Commander Sergei Zdrilyuk, warn Kyiv: sabotage groups are already ready, and the army of Novorossia is starting an offensive war. Nearly 60 thousand fighters of the southeast against 20 thousand "Kievites". True, the militias have neither tanks nor aircraft, but they have a bulk of more compact modern weapons that easily destroy both helicopters and heavy armored vehicles. Not so long ago, Bloomberg economists presented a calculation according to which Russia should lose $115 billion if it starts a war with Ukraine. So why should Moscow lose such fabulous money, if it is quite possible to get by with the forces that have already formed in the south-east of Ukraine? Here is a possible answer to the question of why Russia is refraining from direct military intervention.

They are already panicking in Kyiv: they understand that they will not be able to adequately respond to the challenge of the Novorossiya army. So think about what is better: recognize Novorossia and protect yourself from the risk of an invasion from the Donbass, or continue the punitive operation with the risk that the militias will finish it in the Ukrainian capital. “If three months ago the southeast could “throw a bone” – for example, by recognizing Russian as the second state language – and a month ago it was possible to agree with it, today the problem is much more complicated,” said Mikhail Khazin, a well-known economist and political scientist. - The self-organization of the inhabitants of Donbass has gone so far that if their army goes north - to Kharkov, west and south - to Dnepropetrovsk and Zaporozhye, then Kyiv will not find it small. Moreover, since these will be local residents, support from the people can be very strong. The history of Minin and Pozharsky will repeat itself. And what should the junta do?” And, in fact, there is nothing to do. The army is not ready to fight, the volunteers from the National Guard are not averse to shooting, but they do it in an amateurish way and, thus, are doomed to be killed by the pros from the People's Militia. And what about turning to NATO for help? “NATO will think a hundred times before intervening in a civil war,” says Mikhail Khazin. “This is a serious and very dangerous business, and the alliance avoids excessive dangers.” So confrontation with the army of Novorossiya is highly undesirable for Kyiv. It is cheaper to recognize a new state, albeit a hostile one.

So far, one can only guess about the future borders of Novorossia

But even if the Kyiv impostors recognize Novorossiya, this does not at all guarantee that more and more pieces will not fall off Ukraine, striving to join the new state. The point is that what is happening in Kyiv now is roughly the same as what happened in Moscow 22 years ago – “shock therapy”. The exchange rate of the national currency is falling, wages are decreasing, and the risk of being out of work, on the contrary, is growing. The remnants of the Ukrainian economy are waiting for an imminent collapse - even the most optimistic economists agree on this opinion. By winter, Ukraine may be on the verge of an economic and humanitarian catastrophe, and the peasants of the central part of the country are threatened with a new famine. And even those regions that today tend to support Kyiv, and not the Donbass, may reconsider their priorities - hunger is not an aunt. So it will hardly surprise anyone if Kirovograd, Chernihiv and Sumy are part of Novorossiya.

As for the south, there are still more questions with it than answers. What was the point of creating the Crimean Federal District, if so far only Crimea is included in it? It is obvious that the Russian leadership is aware of something in this regard, which it is customary to keep quiet about publicly - let's say, in order not to upset the Western partners of our country too much. The fact is that recently Russian legislation allows parts of foreign states to join our country without their consent. And in this regard, it is possible to assume that part of Novorossia will subsequently be included in the Russian Federation. “Crimea has already returned,” LDPR leader Vladimir Zhirinovsky said recently. – Eight more areas should return. We decide in what form this will be done, whether they will return to us directly, as subjects of the Federation, or in another form. Someone can become a subject of Novorossia and return as a partner in the Customs Union. But so far only the chain Crimea - Transnistria can be traced. And without the Odessa and Kherson regions, the chain will not work.”

Where is Pridnestrovie heading: either to Russia, or to Novorossia

Indeed, a serious activation of pro-Russian sentiments is now observed in Transnistria. The other day, almost 190,000 residents of the unrecognized republic signed a request to become part of Russia - while the head of the Union of Russian Communities of the PMR, Viorika Kokhtareva, who coordinated the collection of signatures, said that "only a part of the population managed to sign, since the action did not take long enough." It is worth recalling that in September 2006, a referendum was held in Transnistria, in which 97% of the inhabitants voted for reunification with Russia. A curious story came out with the collected signatures: Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Rogozin undertook to deliver them to Moscow. He flew through Chisinau. And there, at the airport, the local police confiscated 30,000 signatures from Rogozin.

Why did Moscow need the signatures of the inhabitants of Transnistria right now? Rumor has it that one of these days the question of the possible accession of the unrecognized republic to Russia will be decided. But if for some reason this issue is not resolved positively or is postponed, the PMR may end up as part of Novorossiya. Maybe temporarily. But it is Transnistria that is destined to influence what Novorossiya will be like in the end. On this account, experts put forward a variety of versions - this is what, for example, political scientist Pavel Zarifullin, head of the Lev Gumilyov Center, says: “The return of Pridnestrovie to Russia is a natural, rational and useful decision, supported by the desire of the majority of citizens of this republic. But if we talk about the annexation of Transnistria, then automatically we should talk about sending troops to Odessa, Kherson and Nikolaev. Now we are not talking about this yet. Talking about the return of Transnistria to Russia means blowing up the Western world once again. But when the wave of aggression passes after the annexation of Crimea, perhaps Putin will begin to annex the southeast. After the annexation of Crimea to Russia, nothing is impossible. The issue of the accession of Transnistria is the issue of tomorrow, which may be very close. But for this we need to return the south-east of Ukraine so that the picture develops organically.” In general, it is too early to talk about which regions of Ukraine will become part of the Crimean Federal District of Russia, and which will become part of Novorossia. But the following is clear: the process of the disintegration of Ukraine can no longer be stopped, as well as the process of the birth of a new state on its bones.