Separatists in Eastern Ukraine announced intention to create a 'state of Malorossiya'
Separatists in Eastern Ukraine have declared the creation of the “state of Malorossiya” with its capital in Donetsk.
The DPR (Donetsk People’s Republic) separatists’ information web site “DAN” claims that aside from the members of these organizations, representatives of 19 regions of Ukraine took part in the ceremonial reading of the “constitutional act of the new state”.
“We, representatives of former regions of Ukraine (excluding the Crimea) declare the founding of a new state which is Ukraine’s successor. We agree that the new state will be called Malorossiya, since the name Ukraine has discredited itself,” the text of the “constitutional act” states.
Donetsk is declared to be the capital of Malorossiya. DPR head Alexander Zakharchenko said that Kyiv “remains a historical-cultural center without the status of capital city”.
“The state flag of Malorossiya is recognized as the flag of Bohdan Khmelnytsky … We believe that the ‘Donetsk People’s Republic’, alongside the ‘Luhansk People’s Republic’ remain the only Ukrainian territories, with the exception of the Crimea, where the legitimate government has been preserved,” Russian Interfax cites Zakharchenko as saying.
Zakharchenko announced that Malorossiya will a martial law for three years.
“We propose a new plan, a plan to reintegrate the country. Not too long ago we launched a state program to unite the peoples of the Donbas, we offer all residents of Ukraine a way out of the war through the re-founding of the country, this is a peaceful way out. But here there are several conditions – it has to be supported by the residents of Ukraine themselves. We have already consulted representatives of regional government and business, and also, if the international community supports the idea. This is our first and last offer,” he said.
Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko has reacted to the news about the creation of the so-called Malorossiya in the uncontrolled Donbas territories. During his visit to Georgia the president recalled the fact that,earlier, the project “Novorossiya” had been buried, and promised to restore sovereignty over the Donbas and the Crimea, Poroshenko’s press secretary Svyatoslav Tsegolko wrote on Twitter.
“The project ‘Novorossiya’ has been buried. Ukraine will renew its sovereignty over the Donbas and Crimea,” Petro Poroshenko stated, as reported by UNIAN.
Dmitry Peskov, Press Secretary to the Russian President, said on Tuesday July 18 that the words of the self-declared DPR’s leader on the creation of Malorossiya were Zakharchenko’s “own personal initiative”. According to him, “Moscow found out about it in the morning from the media”. “We remain committed to the Minsk agreements,” the Russian president’s press secretary stressed.