Russia is firm about its righteousness and feasibility of steps taken in regard to the Donetsk and Lugansk People’s Republics (DPR and LPR respectively) as well the Zaporozhye and Kherson Regions, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said on Saturday, TASS reports.
"We are absolutely sure in the rightful cause and the steps that we take," Lavrov said in an interview with Russia’s Argumenty i Fakty daily. "Our evaluations and arguments, which we will continue sharing with international partners, are quite obvious and many of our partners share them."
The Russian foreign minister said that authorities in Kyiv previously deprived the people of the Kherson and Zaporozhye Regions of their right for the self-identification within Ukraine.
"People residing in the Zaporozhye and Kherson Regions were deprived of any prospects for their self-identification within Ukraine as a result of the Kyiv’s launched military campaign, which included sporadic shelling of residential areas, destruction of the civilian infrastructure, etc.," he said.
Lavrov also stated that Kyiv earlier decided to sabotage Minsk Accords and opted to take the course of the forcible suppression of Donbass.
From September 23 to September 27, the DPR and the LPR as well as the Kherson and the Zaporozhye Regions held referendums where the majority of voters opted to join Russia.
On September 30, Russian President Vladimir Putin and the heads of the four regions signed treaties on their accession to Russia.
On October 5, President Putin signed laws on ratifying the accession of the Donetsk and Lugansk People’s Republics (DPR and LPR) as well as of the Zaporozhye and Kherson Regions to Russia following a granted approval from both houses of the Russian parliament - the State Duma and the Federation Council.
