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Pro-Russians in eastern Ukraine propose constitution reforms

Representatives of the self-proclaimed Donetsk and Luhansk People's Republics, Denis Pushilin (2nd R) and Vladislav Deynego (2nd L), speak to the media at the Belarusian capital city of Minsk, January 30, 2015. (© AFP)

Pro-Russia forces in east Ukraine’s self-proclaimed Donetsk and Luhansk People’s Republics (DPR and LPR) say they have proposed amendments to Ukraine’s constitution, particularly over the “special status” of the two breakaway regions.

“We have once again sent our written legislative proposals. If Ukraine accepts these amendments into its Constitution, then both the Donetsk and Luhansk People’s Republics will make the according changes in their Constitutions,” DPR chief negotiator in Ukraine peace talks Denis Pushilin said on Wednesday.

The proposed constitutional changes include, among other things, a non-aligned military status for Ukraine, the creation of a local police force in the crisis-hit eastern part of the country, also known as Donbass, as well as an official status for the Russian language and a special economic regime in the east, Pushilin added.

He said the DPR and LPR have repeatedly asked Ukraine’s Constitutional Commission to implement the reforms, but have not received any answer.

Last December, Ukrainian lawmakers overwhelmingly voted to renounce Kiev’s non-aligned status and backed a move towards NATO membership. The bill was submitted by President Petro Poroshenko, who has promised to hold a referendum on NATO membership.

Following the move, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov responded to the Kiev parliament’s vote by calling it “counterproductive,” adding that such measures only increase tensions between the two nations.

The Moscow-Kiev relations have been extremely tense in recent months. Kiev and its Western allies accuse Moscow of supporting pro-Russia forces in eastern Ukraine. Russia has categorically denied the allegation.

On March 14, Poroshenko submitted a draft resolution to parliament that would grant special status to some parts of Donetsk and Luhansk, which have been outlined by Ukraine’s National Security and Defense Council.

Mykhaylo Koval, the Council’s deputy secretary, has said the special status draft law would only apply to regions seized by pro-Russia forces on September 19, 2014, and any other areas captured afterward would not be included. The Ukrainian lawmakers approved the draft on March 17.

East Ukraine ceasefire deal

Donetsk and Luhansk, the two mainly Russian-speaking regions in eastern Ukraine, have been hit by deadly clashes between pro-Russia forces and the Ukrainian army since Kiev launched military operations in April last year to crush pro-Russia protests there.

During peace talks in the Belarusian capital city of Minsk on February 11-12, the leaders of Germany, France, Russia and Ukraine reached a deal, dubbed Minsk II, on the withdrawal of heavy weapons from Ukraine’s front lines and a ceasefire, which officially went into effect on February 15. The two sides, however, have continued to engage in sporadic clashes.

Ukrainian soldiers are seen in the frontline outside the eastern Ukrainian city of Debaltseve, Donetsk region, December 24, 2014. (© AFP)

 

The self-proclaimed DPR’s Defense Ministry said on Wednesday that the Ukrainian forces shelled Donetsk and its surroundings 41 times over the last 24 hours.

More than 6,000 people have died in Ukraine’s conflict, the UN says. Around 1.5 million people have also been forced to flee their homes over the recent months of the turmoil.

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