At the end of a bitter and bellicose speech in which he took aggressive aim at Kyiv and the West, Russian President Vladimir Putin said he was recognizing the Moscow-backed separatist entities that control parts of eastern Ukraine as independent countries – and quickly signed a decree making it official. For years, and even in...
Madness or method? Why Putin recognized the Russia-backed separatists in Ukraine
By Steve Gutterman/RFE/RL6 Mins Read