Illustration copyright Sergei Konkov/TASS Image caption Russia has recognized the documents of the self-proclaimed republics, but this is unlikely to make life much easier for their owners

Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a decree on the recognition of documents issued in the self-proclaimed Donetsk and Lugansk “people's republics”. The BBC Russian service looked into what would change after this decision for the residents of Donbass.

The decree published on the Kremlin website on Saturday, April 18, twice emphasizes that although Russia recognizes the documents of the self-proclaimed DPR and LPR, it continues to consider these territories “separate regions of the Donetsk and Lugansk regions of Ukraine.” The text notes that the measures taken by Moscow are temporary and are being introduced until a “political settlement” in eastern Ukraine.

Recognition of documents is necessary in accordance with the norms of international and humanitarian law and is carried out to protect “the rights and freedoms of man and citizen,” Putin’s decree says.

What documents of the self-proclaimed DPR and LPR has Russia recognized?

• identity documents issued by the “actually operating” bodies of the self-proclaimed DPR and LPR
• documents on education, qualifications
• registration certificates vehicles(STS) and their numbers
• birth, name change, marriage, divorce and death certificates

How many people have documents from self-proclaimed republics?

The issuance of passports from the self-proclaimed "Donetsk People's Republic" began less than a year ago - in March 2016. According to the migration service of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the DPR, by January 2017, 40 thousand passports had been issued; Another 45 thousand applications were received. The self-proclaimed LPR issued 10 thousand passports in 2015-2016, the local migration service reported.

As reported by the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the DPR, the following can apply for passports of the DPR and LPR:

• citizens of Ukraine who lived on the territory of the self-proclaimed republic at the time of declaration of independence
• citizens of Russia and other countries serving in the DPR and LPR
• persons who have “special merits” to the self-proclaimed republics

Those who have not received a DPR or LPR passport must still register cars, register marriages and the birth of children in the “actually operating bodies” of the self-proclaimed republics.

What will change for passport holders of the self-proclaimed republics?

Before the adoption of Putin’s decree, holders of DPR and LPR passports were in an uncertain position if they intended to leave the borders of the self-proclaimed republics.

In early February, the RBC publication wrote that holders of passports of the self-proclaimed DPR and LPR can de facto freely enter Russia, buy a train ticket, fly domestic flights, and also book hotels.

“They sold tickets, car license plates were recognized, loans, mortgages, patents [for work] were not given,” Anna Sidorova, administrator of the “Donbass in Moscow. IDPs, Refugees” community, described the previous situation for holders of passports of the self-proclaimed republics.

At the same time, other community users complained that “they were sent to Moscow with such documents” and in general they “raised more questions than answers.”

As State Duma deputy from the Communist Party of the Russian Federation Sergei Shargunov told the BBC Russian Service, before Putin’s decree, nothing prevented, when presenting “Donbass” documents, saying: “This is a piece of paper, go home.” Shargunov himself proposes to issue Russian passports to residents of Donbass, as happened in Abkhazia and South Ossetia.

What will change for owners of cars and driver's licenses of the DPR and LPR?

Drivers will be able to safely present their DPR and LPR car licenses to Russian state traffic inspectors.

A BBC Russian service source in the Moscow traffic police said that before the documents were recognized, there were “no special instructions” regarding cars with license plates of the self-proclaimed DPR and LPR.

As follows from public messages

Russia called in advance not to consider the issuance of passports to Donbass as a signal “for someone” - Vasily Nebenzya, the permanent representative of the Russian Federation to the UN, stated this at a meeting of the UN Security Council. He explained that this decree is not a “creeping annexation” and is not “timed to coincide with any event.” Such statements had to be resorted to not even because of the politics of Ukraine, but rather simply because of the imperfection of the decree. In the future it should be adjusted to a more convenient form. Well, if Ukraine nevertheless decides to solve the problem by force, then Russia will have no choice but to recognize the DPR and LPR as independent entities. A political scientist, first deputy chairman of the State Duma Committee on CIS Affairs, spoke about this in a conversation with Konstantin Zatulin.

After the news about the issuance of Russian passports in Donbass, many wondered about social guarantees. And yesterday the Pension Fund of Russia explained that residents of Donbass can apply for Russian pensions only when moving to Russia for permanent residence. How do you evaluate this decision?

The situation, of course, motivates people to move to Russia, and in this sense it creates a certain risk that people will move to Russia, leaving their old place residence. I believe that in the future this rule should be adjusted so as not to encourage everyone living in the Donetsk and Lugansk republics to move. Otherwise, one can imagine that by moving to Russia, the region will simply lose its population. Neither the president nor those who support this decree set such a goal. Therefore, it seems to me that this is currently an unresolved consequence of the adoption of this decree.

- That is, pensions need to be issued to citizens already in the territories of the republics?

I think so. Most likely, this decision is motivated, among other things, by the fact that the Pension Fund is not eager to spend its funds on people living outside the Russian Federation, although he does it. For example, citizens of South Ossetia and Abkhazia receive additional payments, veterans at least, and this allows them to live with more dignity.

- But overall, do you think the decree is the right decision?

The only thing that was unclear to me was the day when this decree would be made public. As for the decree itself, I have known about its existence for quite a long time. I know who was involved in this, I myself took some part in it, so I knew that the decree had to be issued. And the fact that he was somewhat delayed in publication is due solely to his reluctance for this decree to become a toy during the election campaign in Ukraine.

- So this is not an attempt to rein in Zelensky?

No, the decree is absolutely not connected with the desire, as some now claim, to put Zelensky in his place - it was prepared and signed before the elections in Ukraine ended. Even at that moment when many were not convinced that Zelensky would even be the president of Ukraine. Therefore, it is not opportunistic in nature, it is of a principled nature, since we are talking about overcoming the existing and existing barrier in our legislation on citizenship associated with the need to renounce citizenship of residence. According to this decree, this is not required.

That is, people have the right to retain Ukrainian citizenship and at the same time obtain Russian citizenship. I consider this very important, because this principle, in my opinion, should be extended not only to residents of the DPR and LPR, but also for all compatriots who wish to obtain Russian citizenship, but themselves live abroad. This is why this decree is important not only for the DPR and LPR.

The delay due to the elections is understandable, but why didn’t this happen a year ago, for example? After all, the conditions in which Kyiv placed the republics have not changed much over a long time?

Well, if you put nine pregnant women together, the baby will still not be born in a month... Yes, I believe that this decision should have been made a long time ago, but soon the fairy tale is told, but not soon the deed is done.

There was a struggle of opinions, including among the president’s circle. For my part, I can say that many in the State Duma, including me in particular, since my election in 2016, have been raising these issues all the time and have prepared a number of bills that will make it easier for our compatriots to obtain citizenship. Unfortunately, most of them did not find use because they were blocked. That is, in order to adopt this decree, we had to overcome the resistance of people who are and have been blocking the simplification of the procedure for obtaining citizenship by our compatriots. Such people exist, they have not gone away, in this case they were forced to retreat.

Was what Vasily Nebenzya stated at the UN Security Council said to forestall various kinds of manipulations on this topic? There have probably already been attempts?

It was immediately clear that, of course, attempts would be made to accuse Russia of violating the Minsk agreements, of taking a step towards acquiring the territories of Donetsk and Lugansk, that is, towards their seizure and annexation. And I consider this kind of suspicion to be unfounded.

As a rule, people who evaluate this decree in this way refer to the example of Abkhazia and South Ossetia - they say that this is the “Abkhazian scenario” for the DPR and LPR. As a person who knows well what the “Abkhazian scenario” was, I’ll simply explain: yes, at one time we met the numerous requests of the population of Abkhazia and South Ossetia, who lived in conditions of an unresolved conflict of an unrecognized state, and gave these people the opportunity to get citizenship Russian Federation. Otherwise, they found themselves in a confined space with passports of unrecognized republics, which were not taken into account anywhere, including in Russia.

But the certification of residents of Abkhazia and South Ossetia in no way at that time did not bring those republics closer to recognition. Both Abkhazia and South Ossetia remained unrecognized, although after receiving passports the overwhelming majority of Russian citizens lived there. Recognition of Abkhazia and South Ossetia occurred only after Saakashvili attacked South Ossetia and started a war there. That is, if this analogy is applied to the DPR and LPR - even if all people living in the DPR and LPR, without exception, become citizens of Russia, this will not stop the territory of the DPR and LPR from being considered in international legal terms as the territory of Ukraine, since we are the territory of the DPR and the LPR were not recognized as independent entities.

But if Ukraine takes military measures, tries again with fire and sword, destroying cities and killing citizens, to regain this territory, then in this case, I am sure, we will have no choice but to recognize the DPR and LPR. And again, our recognition of Abkhazia and South Ossetia did not lead to annexation. Abkhazia and South Ossetia live and develop as independent states with the support of Russia. But independent, and not annexed to the Russian Federation. Therefore, there is no connection between annexation and the issuance of passports.

- Can Ukraine, in your opinion, still take the hard path?

I think that in the current situation, only as a provocation of the outgoing president or security forces close to him, some volunteer battalions who, wanting to provoke and drag Russia and Ukraine into confrontation, can try to start this kind of action. This danger has not been eliminated, and I do not believe that the elected president will begin to do this on his own initiative. I think that he can be suspected of many things, but not that he will push for a military solution.

1. WHY DID MOSCOW TAKE THIS STEP?

The Decree of the President of Russia on the recognition of documents of the DPR and LPR exhaustively states why this was done: “In order to protect the rights and freedoms of man and citizen, guided by the generally recognized principles and norms of international humanitarian law...”

For those 3 years, while Ukraine is dealing with Donbass civil war and keeps its inhabitants practically under blockade; millions of people in these territories could not really change their last name, nor register a marriage, divorce, or the birth of a child. Local registry offices issued documents about this, but they were simply not recognized by anyone anywhere except in the DPR and LPR themselves. Those who had reached the age of majority did not understand what kind of passport they should receive, and those who graduated from school or university did not understand what to do with a certificate that was not recognized anywhere. You can’t go to Kyiv to get a Ukrainian passport and certificate.

Well, you can’t hang so many people between heaven and earth, denying them such a basic civil right.

By the way, we will take the liberty to say that our newspaper, Komsomolskaya Pravda, also played a significant role in the fact that this Decree was issued. Two weeks ago, we published two high-profile articles at once (“Alien Russians” and “Why Russia does not give its passports to residents of Donbass”) about how difficult it is for people from Donetsk and Lugansk to obtain at least some kind of status in Russia - and even more so Russian citizenship . Perhaps our voice has been heard.

2. WHAT DOCUMENTS ARE RECOGNIZED

Firstly, these are passports issued by the DPR and LPR and other identity documents, birth certificates, certificates of marriage or divorce, change of name, and death.

Secondly, certificates of education and professional qualifications.

Thirdly, vehicle registration certificates, registration plates vehicles.

3. ARE THERE MANY PEOPLE WITH SUCH DOCUMENTS?

It is known that more than 40 thousand DPR passports have already been issued in Donetsk alone. By the way, in appearance they are similar to Russian ones - the cover is also red, but darker. And the double-headed eagle on it is not with the coat of arms of St. George the Victorious, but of Archangel Michael. But the LPR passport looks more like a Soviet one. Because on the dark red cover there is a coat of arms made of ears of grain wrapped in a ribbon. Only in the center of the coat of arms is not the Earth (as was on the coat of arms of the USSR), but a five-pointed star.

Surely there will now be many more holders of DPR and LPR passports. After all, from 2 to 3 million people live in the territories of these republics today (it is impossible to say more precisely due to the large number of refugees who either return to Donbass or leave again with each escalation of shelling from Ukraine). It is one thing to have a passport valid only in the Donbass, and quite another when it is recognized on 1/6 of the planet - from Donetsk - to the Pacific Ocean itself.

By the way, last year I solemnly received a DPR passport Russian actor Ivan Okhlobystin, and the LPR passport is the famous American boxer Jeff Monson.

4. WHAT WILL THIS GIVE TO THE RESIDENTS OF DONBASS?

The most important thing is that they will be able to move freely with their passports in Russia. Check into hotels, buy plane and train tickets, get a job with them.

A very important line of the Decree - with documents from the DPR and LPR, it will be possible to cross the border with Russia without any visas!

The same thing applies to car license plates. Cars registered in Donbass are also allowed to be driven in Russia.

Well, with Donetsk and Lugansk certificates you will be able to enter Russian universities or present them to your employer as a certificate of education.

5. DOES THIS CHANGE THE STATUS OF DONBASS ITSELF.

Formally, nothing changes. This is not yet recognition of the DPR and LPR. The Decree does not even mention the names of these republics. They are designated as “territories of certain regions of the Donetsk and Lugansk regions of Ukraine.” That is, it is impossible to put forward any political and legal claims from international structures against Russia in this regard. You won't dig it.

But at the civil and everyday level, this is a huge shift. This is moral support and recognition for the people of Donbass, who are tired of living as if they officially don’t exist.

Moreover, the Decree was issued in the midst of another blockade, this time a trade blockade imposed on Donbass by Ukraine. And at the moment when Kyiv finally made it clear that it was not going to implement the Minsk agreements, unleashing a new round of war.

The recognition of the documents of the Donbass republics can also be called a soft coercion of Kyiv to peace - Ukraine was made to understand that if it continues to treat its citizens in the south-east of the country like a pig, then they have somewhere to go. And this is a clear hint to the West - if you don’t seriously, in fact, begin to demand from Kyiv reconciliation with Donbass, the next step could be recognition of the DPR and LPR themselves.

By the way, the Decree of the President of Russia says “comes into force from the date of its signing.” That is, right away.

COMMENT

Oksana SKODA, journalist (3 years ago she was forced to leave Ukraine due to political persecution):

"The decree recognizes the rights of Donetsk and Lugansk residents, which were trampled by Ukraine"

The wonderful news that the President of Russia signed a Decree on the recognition of the Donbass documents in Russia, to be honest, did not completely take me by surprise. After the Munich conference and the briefing of the heads of the LPR and DPR, I felt that there would be some tangible result. Our President has been too mysterious lately... And now it has happened! It is completely logical that a “clink of pan” sounded across Ukraine, because this legal step on the part of Russia is nothing more than “the last Chinese warning.” What is recognition of documents?

This is, first of all, the legalization of Donetsk and Lugansk residents. So far, not territories, but precisely people whose basic rights (even to receive the same documents) have been trampled by the Ukrainian junta. And how chic the wording in the decree “... for the period until a political settlement of the situation in certain areas... on the basis of the Minsk agreements” sounds! That is, to this mechanism did not earn recognition, Ukraine must “politically resolve”, in other words, stop shelling and remove all armed bandit groups from the territory of Donbass. Naturally, Kyiv will not agree to this. This means that the word “temporarily” with a light stroke of the pen turns into the word “permanently”. And then, such decrees reverse don't have. Today he admitted it, tomorrow he didn’t recognize it... This won’t happen. Therefore, the “partners” have already “gotten” the very patient Vladimir Vladimirovich! What, I think, is meant by the wording “they can enter the Russian Federation and exit the Russian Federation without issuing visas.” Therefore, there is a possibility of introducing a visa regime for “non-brothers”?

Many of my friends have LPR and DPR passports. To say that with these documents it is very easy for them to settle in Russia would be a lie. Of course, it’s easier for them than for political emigrants with Ukrainian passports, but, nevertheless, an unrecognized document is unrecognized... Now, based on the Decree, this category of immigrants from Donbass will breathe a sigh of relief and feel, if not 100%, but still , full-fledged people in the Russian Federation.

One thing is clear: the shameless behavior of Ukrainian politicians hastened the emergence of this Decree. After all, all chaos comes to an end sooner or later. I would like to note that on the day the President signed this, without exaggeration, historic decree, at 5:13 am our petition to the President for recognition of the LPR and DPR was published. Coincidence? May be...

Now Ukrainian punitive forces continue harsh shelling of the territories of the LDPR. Something suggests that in connection with this Decree of the President of Russia, military terror against the two republics will intensify. Escalation of the conflict cannot be avoided. The junta is in agony, they have nothing to lose. Therefore, no matter how banal it may sound, the slogan of the spring of 2014 has become more active again: Putin, send in the troops! Just with an amendment: peacekeeping. And for this it is necessary to officially recognize the long-suffering republics. I think that the current Presidential Decree is a step aside to make just such a decision. In any case, I want to believe that our President will not stop halfway! Because Russians don’t abandon their own!

QUESTION OF THE DAY

How do you assess this decision of the president?

Evgeniy DEMCHENKO, teacher at Donetsk National University:

I received a DPR passport to replace the Ukrainian one that was burned in a fire. I was very worried about how to go to Russia with him? And even there they didn’t really know how to treat these documents. All questions were resolved, and I breathed a sigh of relief.

Natalia KORSUNETS, resident of Lugansk:

God bless! I work as a freelancer. Previously, it was impossible to open an account and card in Sberbank using an LPR passport. Now, I think there will be no problems.

Alexander ZAKHARCHENKO, head of the DPR:

This is confirmation that Russia supports the right of its compatriots to fight for life, culture, language, honor and dignity. This is recognition of the merits of every resident of Donbass. Our sacrifices are not in vain and our hopes are justified.

Victor STRELCHENKO, businessman, Donbass:

When the Ukrainian military fired at the market, I thought it was the end of business. We can’t go back to Ukraine; Russia doesn’t need it. Honestly, I didn’t have the strength to be in limbo. And Vladimir Putin’s decree is hope! The republics also need to be recognized. There are many of us, we want and can work.

Gennady ZYUGANOV, leader of the Communist Party of the Russian Federation:

This is absolutely logical. Those who previously lived in the Kursk, Belgorod, Voronezh, and Orel regions live and work in Donbass. The same Alexei Stakhanov moved from Orel to Donbass and became the most famous miner in the USSR. I think recognition of the DPR and LPR is also not far off...

Igor VESELENKO, resident of Pervomaisk (LPR):

Previously, everything depended on the personal attitude of the Russian customs officer, policeman or official towards us. Now, I think, there will be no bureaucratic hassles at all.

Denis PUSHILIN, Chairman of the People's Council of the DPR:

And the biggest plus is that now our children will be able to enter Russian universities on an official basis.

Natalya BORISKOVA, singer, member of Joseph Kobzon’s Front Brigade:

I have been to concerts in the DPR and LPR several times. But now we were transporting from the territory controlled by the Ukrainian Armed Forces to safe place families of the guys who are fighting for our Donbass. When you have legal passports, this will be easier.

Oleg KUZNETSOV, reader of the KP.RU website:

Of course, it’s good, but the downside is that with these passports, except Russia, no other country will let you in. Not for rest, not for study, not for work...

Olga, listener of Radio “Komsomolskaya Pravda” (97.2 FM):

Immediately after Vladimir Putin’s decree, I called friends in Lugansk. Believe me, a holiday has come to their destroyed streets! And there is more and more hope that life will get better. Peaceful.

ON THE TOPIC

No longer unrecognized

The President of Russia signed a decree on the recognition in Russia of documents issued to Ukrainian citizens and stateless persons living in the territory of the DPR and LPR. And even though the decree’s wording reads “residing in the territories of certain regions of the Donetsk and Lugansk regions of Ukraine,” you and I understand that we are talking specifically about the LDPR. ()

Natalya Boriskova, member of Kobzon’s Frontline Brigade: “Iosif Davydovich deserved special applause for Donbass”

Natasha, together with People’s Artist of the USSR, Hero of Labor of Russia and Hero of the DPR Iosif Kobzon, we visited the fighting Donbass several times. How did you personally take the news that Vladimir Putin signed a Decree on the recognition of passports and other important documents of the DPR and LPR?

When you called me for the first time, I was on the subway and was simply dumbfounded by this news. And I came home, turned on the TV - they literally just announced this... All my loved ones are applauding. We are all for it! ()

Gennady Zyuganov: “The recognition of the passports of the DPR and LPR should be followed by the recognition of these republics”

I have repeatedly stated that it is necessary to recognize the DPR and LPR. The citizens of these republics voted in a referendum, they rebelled against the Nazi-Bandera gang that forcibly seized power in Kyiv, they defended and continue to defend us, our history and our common Victory. Therefore, it is necessary to recognize republics ()

Alexander Prokhanov: “Russia has no other choice but to recognize the LPR and DPR”

By decree of President Vladimir Putin, passports of residents of the Donbass and Lugansk People's Republics become valid in Russia. Now refugees fleeing war will be able to cross the Russian border without visas. The DPR and LPR have long been waiting for such a step from Moscow. ()

International recognition of the DPR and LPR took place: Documents

After Ukraine recently announced a list of personas non grata in Ukraine, anyone who read this list suddenly discovered that official Kyiv recognizes the existence of the Donetsk People’s and Lugansk People’s Republics.

It’s just that opposite the people mentioned in the list such as Alexander Zakharchenko, Igor Plotnitsky, Alexander Kofman, Vladimir Kononov and others were not the usual Ukrainian curse words like “separatists” and “terrorists”, but the names of their real positions - for example, “head of the LPR” or “minister” Foreign Affairs of the DPR".

At my disposal were photocopies of official letters from respectable, well-known and not very international organizations sent to the official structures of the DPR and LPR. It is immediately striking that, firstly, these organizations recognize the people's republics, since they use these names, and not “Donetsk region” or “Luhansk region”, when talking about these territories, and, secondly, when addressing officials of the republics, they use their full “title”.

Unfortunately, due to the fact that Internet publications cannot be large due to the specifics of the reading public’s perception of large texts on the Internet, I limited myself to publishing only a small part of the documents.

In addition, I refused to publish official documents of South Ossetia and Abkhazia, which recognize in the first case or actually recognize in the second their statehood.

So, this is an official letter from the OSCE mission to the head of the LPR, Igor Plotnitsky.

And this is a request addressed to the Minister of Agricultural Industry of the LPR Ruslan Viktorovich Sorokovenko:

A letter from the Red Cross, in which Alexander Kofman is named the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the DPR, and just below a request for clarification on how to register on the territory of the DPR to the Donetsk regional branch of the Red Cross of Ukraine:

Here is the Czech humanitarian organization “People in Need”, which exists thanks to cash injections from America, and does not recognize any DPR or LPR. Sponsors don’t recognize it, but the Czechs do.

The LPR is also recognized by Doctors Without Borders, on whose behalf the current Ukrainian propagandist Savik Shuster went to spoil the USSR in Afghanistan in the 80s.

This is a letter from the Patriotic Front of Greece:

The Danish Refugee Council wrote to the DPR Minister of Health:

The Swiss address their message to the head of the LPR, Igor Plotnitsky:

The Norwegians in their letter to Plotnitsky also talk about the territory of the LPR:

Plotnitsky received this letter from the international organization “Save the Children”:

Once upon a time, the famous Kiev Maidan activist Nina Potarskaya, together with journalist Irma Krat, organized the “Women’s Hundred” during the second Maidan. She hates Russia, the DPR and LPR, and the Vatniks and Colorados, like me. But she also recognizes the existence of the DPR and the fact that Alexander Kofman is the Minister of Foreign Affairs in this state:

Just a year ago it was impossible to imagine this, but today in Moscow they admit the possibility of recognition of the republics in the event of another round of Ukrainian aggression, the political scientist said. “Putin gently warned today what would happen if someone opportunistically attacked Russia,” the analyst said on the “60 Minutes” program on the Rossiya 1 TV channel.

ON THE TOPIC

In turn, deputy from the Communist Party of the Russian Federation Leonid Kalashnikov believes that if it is not possible to restore normal relations with Ukraine, then it will cease to exist as a state. “What other option is there if not peace with Ukraine? The other option is that it will fall apart,” the legislator believes.

Let us recall that earlier in Donbass they named the condition for the entry of the Donetsk and Lugansk republics into Russia. According to former DPR Defense Minister Igor Khakimzyanov, this will only happen if the republics control the entire territory of Donbass.

At the meeting with Alexey Kulemzin, problematic issues of the development of the city of Donetsk were discussed. Special attention devoted to the beginning of the heating season. According to information from acting The head of the Donetsk city administration is completely ready to receive heat, the switching on is proceeding according to the schedule. pic.twitter.com/kS80LfCglr

— Pushilin Denis (@pushilindenis) October 16, 2018

He is confident that the armed forces of the DPR and LPR must push the Ukrainian army out of the region, but this must be done in combination with diplomatic methods. As Khakimzyanov noted, at the moment the national economic complex of the unrecognized republics is experiencing better times, since many resources, for example, electrical power, remained with Independence.

“Before integrating into Russia, we need to return the region completely under our control,” the military man concluded.

The active phase of the conflict in Donbass ended in the winter of 2015, when the armed forces of the republics took control of the city of Debaltsevo, one of the main transport and logistics hubs in the region. The Donetsk and Lugansk republics still do not have clearly established borders.

Currently, unrecognized entities control approximately a third of the territory of the former Donetsk and Lugansk regions of Ukraine, but they could increase this in the event of another escalation of the armed conflict.