MOSCOW, November 4 (RIA Novosti) — Maintaining the military operation in the Donbas region and not recognizing elections held in the self-proclaimed Donetsk and Luhansk people's republics could lead to the destruction of Ukraine, Crimea's Senator Sergei Tsekov told RIA Novosti Tuesday.
"If the confrontation [between Kiev and the independence supporters in Donbas] continues, the country will continue to self-destruct as well," Tsekov said.
"What else could we expect from [the Ukrainian President] Poroshenko? They [the Ukrainian authorities], unfortunately, are following the beaten track … of confrontation with their own citizens," Tsekov said referring to Poroshenko's decision on Monday to submit the abolition of the law granting special status to the Donbas Region to Ukraine's National Security and Defense Council.
The crisis in Ukraine escalated in mid-April, when Kiev authorities launched a military operation against independence supporters in the Donetsk and Luhansk regions. As a result the territories went on to declare themselves sovereign states.
The law on self-administration in parts of the Donetsk and Luhansk regions, also known as the Donbas, was passed by the Ukrainian parliament on September 16, following the September 5 ceasefire agreement between Kiev and pro-independence forces. According to the deal, Kiev was obliged to ensure early local elections in the two breakaway regions.
Nevertheless, on Sunday, the self-proclaimed Donetsk and Luhansk People's Republics (the DPR, LPR) held elections for the heads of local governments and representatives of legislative bodies. The Ukrainian government has branded them illegitimate.
