MOSCOW, October 31 (RIA Novosti) — Russia sees nothing wrong in the intention of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People's Republic (DPR) to get a "democratic mandate" by holding regional elections, Vladimir Chizhov, Russia's Ambassador to the EU said Friday.
"There are people entrusted with certain power in Donetsk and Luhansk People's Republics as well. At the moment these are the people who have gained the trust of local residents and naturally they want to conduct elections in order to get a democratic mandate," Chizhov said on Rossiya-24 television, adding that such a step will allow the leaders of LPR and DPR to represent the interests of the local population at talks with Kiev.
Following a February coup in Kiev, residents of the Donetsk and Luhansk regions in eastern Ukraine established so-called people's republics that later declared independence. The crisis in Ukraine escalated in mid-April, when Kiev authorities launched a military operation against independence supporters in Donbas.
After a meeting of the trilateral contact group on Ukraine on September 5, which resulted in the establishment of a ceasefire in the volatile regions, Ukraine adopted a law granting special statuses to parts of the Donetsk and Luhansk provinces.
The law also stipulates that local elections are to take place in these regions on December 7. However, the self-proclaimed republics have set the date for their own elections for regional leaders and legislative bodies for November 2. The United States, the European Union and the United Nations have spoken out against the November 2 elections, stating that they will undermine the Minsk agreements.
