MOSCOW, February 20. /TASS/. Some 5,000 people of Donbass were killed and about 9,000 more sustained wounds over the past nine years as a result of criminal acts on behalf of the Ukrainian military, Russia’s Investigative Committee Chairman Alexander Bastrykin told TASS on Monday.

"According to investigative measures, almost 14,000 citizens of Donbass fell as victims at the hands of the Ukrainian side over the past nine years. This figure includes 5,000 people killed and almost 9,000 wounded," he said.

Russia’s top investigator said that up to 120,000 residents of Donbass are currently regarded as possible victims within the ongoing investigation of Russia’s Investigation Committee.

Russia’s special military operation

On February 21, 2022, President Vladimir Putin announced that Moscow was recognizing the sovereignty of the Donetsk and Lugansk People’s Republics, (the DPR and LPR respectively). Russia signed agreements on friendship, cooperation and mutual assistance with their leaders. Moscow recognized the Donbass republics in accordance with the DPR and LPR constitutions within the boundaries of the Donetsk and Lugansk Regions as of the beginning of 2014.

Russian President Putin announced on February 24, 2022, that in response to a request by the heads of the Donbass republics for assistance, he had decided to carry out a special military operation in Ukraine. The DPR and the LPR launched an operation to liberate their territories under Kiev’s control.

From September 23 to September 27, 2022, the Donetsk People’s Republic and the Lugansk People’s Republic as well as the Kherson Region and the Zaporozhye Region held a referendum where the majority of voters opted to join Russia.

On September 30, 2022, President Putin and the heads of the DPR, the LPR, and the Zaporozhye and Kherson Regions signed treaties on their entry to Russia. Later, the State Duma and the Federation Council (the lower and upper houses of Russia’s parliament) approved legislation on ratifying these treaties, as well as federal constitutional laws on the accession of the four regions to Russia.