On May 13, 2015, a document appeared in the public domain titled “Amendments by the DNR and the LNR to the Constitution of Ukraine” compiled by the leadership of the terrorist organizations of the so-called Donetsk and Luhansk Peoples’ Republic who with support from the Russian Federation have occupied part of eastern Ukraine.
Amendments to Section XI of the Ukrainian Constitution that defines the legal status of the individual regions of Donetsk and Luhansk Oblasts were presented for public debate. Article 133 of the document elicited the liveliest reaction from the public. The Article determines the administrative-territorial structure of Ukraine. As amended by the supporters of the Kremlin it states that the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and the city of Sevastopol are a part of Ukraine.
[Article 133: The administrative-territorial composition of Ukraine includes: the Autonomous Republic of Crimea, the individual districts with special status the Donetsk and Luhansk Oblasts, oblasts, regions, cities, city districts, towns and villages.
The following are a part of Ukraine: the Autonomous Republic of Crimea, the individual districts with special status the Donetsk and Luhansk Oblasts, Vinnytsia Oblast, Volyn Oblast, Dnipropetrovsk Oblast, Donetsk Oblast, Zhytomyr Oblast, Zakarpatska Oblast, Zaporizhia Oblast, Ivano-Frankivsk Oblast, Kyiv Oblast, Kirovohrad Oblast, Luhansk Oblast, Lviv Oblast, Odesa Oblast, Poltava Oblast, Rivne Oblast, Sumy Oblast, Ternopil Oblast, Kharkiv Oblast, Kherson Oblast, Khmelnytskyi Oblast, Cherkasy Oblast, Chernivtsi Oblast, Chernihiv Oblast, and the cities of Kyiv and Sevastopol.
The cities of Kyiv and Sevastopol, the individual districts with special status Donetsk and Luhansk Oblasts have all been conferred special status as determined by the laws of Ukraine.]
Source: Donetsk News Agency created by the decree of the Head of the DNR A. Zakharchenko
It is a well-known fact that the Russian Federation has implemented a very sophisticated propaganda agenda. It is also a generally accepted fact that besides provisions, military equipment, and manpower the Kremlin supplies the leadership in occupied east Ukraine with clear instructions for action both at the front and in the field of information. In view of the above, could it be that the document that has been made public is the Kremlin’s first step in its admission that it has annexed the Crimea and is now ready to return it?
EMPR, O. R. contributed to this publication
