Addressing the nation, Russian President Vladimir Putin said that the pro-Russian provinces, which belong to Ukraine and reject Ukrainian rule, are recognized as independent states.
The pro-Russian separatist provinces of Ukraine are the Donetsk and Luhansk regions, which borders Russia.
This is the first time that Russia has officially recognized these provinces as independent states.
Donetsk and Luhansk have been supporting Russia since 2014, rejecting Ukrainian rule. In 2014, Russia similarly invaded the Ukrainian Crimean peninsula, which had refused to rule Ukraine.
