LUGANSK, December 17. / TASS /. The residents of the self-proclaimed Donetsk and Lugansk People's Republics feel as they are part of Russia and have a strong sense of Russian national identity, Doctor of Philosophy, Associate Professor of the Lugansk State Pedagogical University, member of the Union of the Russian and LPR Writers Vitaliy Darensky said on Friday.

"The population has long perceived themselves to be part of Russia, most have already forgotten about Ukraine. In fact, over the past seven years of the republic’s existence, a new, healthy society has been established," the expert told the LuganskInformCenter agency. "A new sense of identity has developed — Russian national identity — which [Kiev] tried to destroy, but was strengthened among most people," Darensky emphasized.

According to the professor, the situation in the DPR and LPR is developing steadily, while many people, who temporarily worked in Russia, are returning to their homes, since the local economy has completely recovered. "Among the crucial achievements of the Donetsk and Lugansk republics are steady economic growth and the stabilization of the population. It is now clear that most residents are staying in the republics and are not going to leave. Furthermore, life is not limited to the economy. Our cultural and educational spheres are also actively being built up. We have noteworthy media outlets - TV, radio and local media," Darensky pointed out.

As the expert believes, "next year, all these activities will resume, if the military-political situation does not worsen. Although the Kiev regime may be driven towards military aggression against Donbass by its US masters, this scenario is unlikely, since Russia has a very firm stance on this issue and the US does not want to create new problems in the Ukrainian direction," the professor insisted.

Ukraine’s southeastern regions, where most residents are Russian-speakers, refused to recognize the legitimacy of the authorities who seized power amid the upheaval that erupted following the February 2014 coup in Ukraine. In response to grassroots protests in these areas, the Kiev regime launched a military operation against Donbass in mid-April 2014. The large-scale shelling of residential dwellings, even with the use of aviation, led to a humanitarian disaster in the region. Given these conditions, a referendum on the self-determination of the Lugansk and Donetsk People’s Republics (LPR and DPR) was organized and their state sovereignty was proclaimed on May 12, 2014.