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Russia has no plans for 'taking over' Donetsk, Lugansk republics — Kremlin

The spokesman pointed out that Moscow was taking a consistent and responsible stance in favor of protecting the interests of the Russian-speaking population in that territory

Russian Presidential Spokesman Dmitry Peskov Sergei Bobylev/TASS

Russian Presidential Spokesman Dmitry Peskov

© Sergei Bobylev/TASS

MOSCOW, May 13. /TASS/. Russia has no plans for taking over the territories of Donbass that are beyond Kiev's control, Russian presidential spokesman, Dmitry Peskov said in reply to EU allegations Russia harbored some intentions to take over the self-proclaimed Donetsk and Lugansk people's republics.

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Number of Donbass residents with Russian citizenship in 2021 may reach 1 mln

"Russia has never had any takeover plans, nor will it have any in the future. It has never done anything like that," the Kremlin spokesman said.

Peskov had reiterated more than once that the question of taking over Donbass was not on the Kremlin's agenda. At the same time he stressed that Russia was taking a consistent and responsible stance in favor of protecting the interests of the Russian-speaking population in that territory.

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