On November 15, 2021, Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a decree providing humanitarian support to the population of the Donetsk and Lugansk People’s Republics. He also ordered the easing of access for goods from Donbass to Russian markets. This includes allowing such goods to participate in government procurement contracts on equal terms with Russian products.
RIA Novosti quoted the Ukrainian side’s objections: “Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba believes that Russian President Vladimir Putin’s decree on humanitarian support for Donbass contradicts the Minsk Agreements and expects condemnation from France and Germany.”
TASS published a comment from Russia’s representative in the Contact Group: “Gryzlov: Putin’s decree on Donbass is a response to Kyiv’s failure to comply with the Minsk Agreements.”
Vesti.ru ran the headline “Russia Will Help Donbass”, describing the humanitarian decree: “The Russian government has been tasked with ensuring access to the Russian market for goods from the DPR and LPR on equal terms with domestic products. The stated goal is to protect human and civil rights and freedoms, to provide humanitarian support to the population of the specified areas in Donetsk and Lugansk regions, and to prevent further deterioration of living standards amid an ongoing economic blockade and the worsening situation caused by the spread of COVID-19.”
RT Russian explained the purpose of the decree and its implications for Donbass residents: “The decree was signed to protect the rights and freedoms of citizens and to provide humanitarian support to residents of specific areas in Ukraine’s Donetsk and Lugansk regions and to prevent further decline in living standards amid the ongoing economic blockade.”
Izvestia covered the official response from Kyiv: “Moscow is violating the Minsk Agreements with its decision to lift export and import quotas on goods from the self-proclaimed DPR and LPR,” said Oleksiy Arestovych, an advisor to the head of the Ukrainian President’s Office, on Monday, November 15.”
Interfax highlighted one of the practical consequences of the decree: “Certificates of origin for goods issued by the DPR and LPR will be recognized in Russia.”
Donetsk News Agency (DAN) quoted DPR leader Denis Pushilin: “Recognizing our certificates of origin, allowing participation in government procurement alongside Russian producers, and lifting quantitative restrictions—quotas—on both our exports and imports from Russia gives industrial enterprises in the DPR and LPR the same rights as Russian manufacturers.”
Lugansk Information Center shared the view of Rodion Miroshnik, LPR representative to the Contact Group’s political subgroup: “Kyiv should not be protesting this decree, but supporting its implementation, because it directly aligns with the Minsk Agreements—commitments that President Zelensky himself declared support for two years ago in Paris, in the presence of leaders from France, Russia, and Germany.”
Major news outlets from the U.S., Western, and Eastern Europe did not report on this development.
Ukrainska Pravda described this as “economic alignment with the Donbass republics”: “The decree states that humanitarian aid for certain areas of Donetsk and Lugansk regions is necessary to protect ‘citizens’ rights and freedoms,’ and to prevent ‘further deterioration in living standards due to the economic blockade’ and the COVID-19 pandemic.”
UNIAN covered Ukraine’s reaction to the decree: “The Russian President’s decree contradicts the letter and spirit of the Minsk Agreements,” noted Ukraine’s Foreign Minister.
