Ukraine: Rebels proclaim birth of sovereign People’s Republic
Separatist leader asks to join Russia after claiming an overwhelming ‘yes’ to self-rule in unofficial referendum.
Ukraine’s most populous regions stood on the verge of joining Russia on Monday when the birth of a “People’s Republic” was simultaneously proclaimed in Donetsk and Luhansk.
Denis Pushilin, the self-styled “prime minister” of the “Donetsk People’s Republic”, appeared outside the main government building, which was seized by his followers last month, and announced: “The People’s Republic is now sovereign!”
A few hundred people had gathered for the occasion inside a barricade of old tyres, festooned with posters comparing America, Europe and Ukraine’s new government to “fascists” and “Nazis”. They clapped, whistled and cheered.