President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin addressed the citizens of Russia and said that he considers it necessary to recognize the sovereignty of the Donetsk and Lugansk people's republics.
Putin stated that the situation in the Donbass has become critical and asked the parliament to ratify the necessary documents.
According to the Kremlin, Putin has already signed relevant decrees, as well as agreements with the DPR and LPR on cooperation.
The President emphasized that Moscow demands that the Kiev authorities "immediately stop hostilities, (...)  otherwise, all responsibility for the possible continuation of the bloodshed will be entirely on the conscience of the regime ruling in Ukraine."