"Russia's recognition of the separatist 'republics' papers is concerning and contradicts the agreed goals of the Minsk agreements," the press service said on its Twitter account.
In 2014, eastern Ukrainian regions of Donetsk and Luhansk declared their independence from Kiev. In response Kiev launched a military operation against the two self-proclaimed republics. In 2015, the sides signed a ceasefire in Minsk brokered by the leaders of the so-called Normandy Four group, comprising France, Germany, Russian and Ukraine.
Since the beginning of the conflict permanent residents of the self-proclaimed republics has been facing difficulties with their documents, as a number of the papers issued by Ukraine had expires, but the ones issued by Donetsk and Luhansk were not recognized by other states.
