Russian President Vladimir Putin on Feb. 21 said that Russia recognizes the independence of the separatist Donetsk and Luhansk regions in eastern Ukraine, which some Western officials say will give Moscow the pretext to send in troops. Putin, in a lengthy speech, said he will “immediately recognize the sovereignty” of the Donetsk and Luhansk republics. On Feb. 21, the leaders of the two areas, which make up much of the Donbas, requested that Putin recognize their independence from Ukraine. Before, in his speech, Putin suggested that Ukraine isn’t a real country and believes that it’s “ancient Russian lands.” The modern Ukrainian state, he alleged, was created by Soviet founder Vladimir Lenin, who ultimately separated Ukraine from the imperial Russian empire. “Ukraine is not just a neighboring country for us, Ukraine is a part of our cultural space,” Putin said, suggesting that the 1991 collapse of the Soviet Union caused Russia to be “robbed” …
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