MOSCOW, May 19./ITAR-TASS/. Ukraine’s self-proclaimed Donetsk People’s Republic (DNR) and fellow campaigners in Luhansk have opened communication links for common security and humanitarian support, the Donetsk governor told Rossiya 24 television on Monday.

“We are not just close, but are practically identical in our views. We have established political ties, communication between our military, communication on issues of security and humanitarian support,” Pavel Gubarev said, adding that the two people’s republics were highly likely to unite, which “will become a basis for the new state of Novorossiya (literally New Russia)”.

Focusing on the activity of his Novorossiya party, Gubarev said “it is a party of a new type. It will not be connected with oligarchs, it is a party born of the people, the party that will involve people who have become the backbone of our movement - the Donbass militia,” he said, referring to them as to “a true elite of the Donbass people”.

Gubarev also noted that the self-proclaimed Donetsk People’s Republic “does not feel like part of the Ukrainian state and is not part of Ukraine de-facto”. “We are facing major challenges, we are to form a parliament, approve a constitution, create an army and do a lot of other things.

"But we are not afraid of that as the most important thing for us is to live up to people’s trust, make their lives decent and safe,” Gubarev added.

He said the leadership of the people’s republic “knows of all facts of the stationing of foreign troops of Ukraine in the DNR”. “We are ready to adequately react to all attempts at armed aggression,” the governor said.