LUGANSK, February 21. /TASS/. Russia made a life-changing and timely decision to recognize the sovereignty of the Donbass republics on February 21, 2022, Acting Head of the Lugansk People’s Republic (LPR) Leonid Pasechnik said in an interview with TASS.

"The recognition of the sovereignty of the Lugansk and Donetsk People’s Republics was life-changing for Donbass, and also timely, which is the most important thing. People had long been ready for that. I will say more: everyone, including myself, had been waiting for it with bated breath," he pointed out.

According to Pasechnik, Russia’s recognition provided the LPR with an opportunity to develop its economy, and LPR companies gained access to the Russian market. "What’s also important is that after Russia had recognized the republic’s sovereignty, there was an upsurge of patriotism among our people," the Lugansk leader emphasized.

Tensions escalated along the line of contact in Donbass on February 17, 2022. The Donetsk and Lugansk People’s Republics reported the heaviest shelling by the Ukrainian Armed Forces in months. On February 21, 2022, Russian President Vladimir Putin announced the recognition of the Donetsk and Lugansk People’s Republics within the administrative borders of the Donetsk and Lugansk regions as they were at the beginning of 2014, based on the DPR and LPR constitutions.