The area of ​​Novorossiya. The head of the DPR announced the creation of the state of Little Russia and invited all Ukrainians to voluntarily join it. Political situation in the Lugansk region at the beginning of the 21st century

Political situation in Luhansk region in beginning of XXI century.

Main features of the political and economic life of the region in the first decade of the 21st century .

Economic development and social composition

At the beginning of the 21st century, the Lugansk region was an urbanized region with a developed engineering and metallurgical industry. After a long economic crisis, the last decade has seen an increase in industrial production and investment.

By the beginning of 2002, the Lugansk region accounted for 29.2% of coal production, 10.9% of coke production, 8% of cast iron, 8.7% of steel, 19.5% of soda ash, 15.8% of nitrogen mineral fertilizers, 41 .3% synthetic resins and plastics, 87.7% building glass, 37.9% gasoline, etc.

According to statistics for 2010, the total volume products sold mining and processing industries equaled 6.1 billion UAH, in particular, mechanical engineering in the industrial structure occupied 37%, metallurgy and production of finished metal products - 29%, manufacturing food products- 19%, mining industry - 4%. Among the enterprises occupying a leading place in the industrial development of the Lugansk region are the Alchevsk Iron and Steel Works, OJSC Alchevskkoks, Lisichansky Oil Refinery "Linos", Severodonetsk ZZ Azot, Stakhanov Carriage Works, Lugansk Pipe Plant and others.

The agricultural sector also gradually recovered.

For 2009 population Lugansk was 474 thousand . people (688 thousand people in the agglomeration, the center of which is Lugansk).

According to the 2001 census, the national composition of the Lugansk region was as follows: Ukrainians - 50%, Russians - 47%, Belarusians - 1%, Jews - 1%.

According to the same census, 85% of Lugansk residents named Russian as their native language, which was the reason for giving it regional status in 2012.

Features of political life

In the last decade, the Luhansk region has traditionally supported such a political force as the Party of Regions, voting for its leader Viktor Yanukovych in the presidential elections of 2004 and 2010. This was due to both intensified campaigning and the use of administrative resources by regional leaders, in particular the head of the regional state administration, Alexander Efremov. Such constancy of political sympathies of the region's residents could not but disappoint official Kyiv.

Political crisis of 2013-2014 in Ukraine and its impact on the situation in the region. Proclamation of the LPR and DPR, creation of Novorossiya.

In November 2013, another political crisis began in Ukraine, provoked by the decision of the Ukrainian government to suspend the process of signing the Association Agreement with the European Union. Representatives of the population dissatisfied with this turn of events, in particular students of Kyiv universities, organized a mass protest in the center of Kyiv, which was called “Euromaidan” (by analogy with the political events of 2004).


On November 28-29, during the Vilnius Eastern Partnership summit, Ukraine did not sign the Association Agreement with the EU, which was negatively perceived by the summit participants. The situation inside the country became tense after the dispersal of the opposition tent city and the adoption on January 16, 2014 by the Verkhovna Rada of laws providing for tougher sanctions for participation in mass riots. The response to such actions by the president was the intensification of protests that were anti-presidential and anti-government in nature. Factors accompanying the intensification of the political crisis were the deterioration of the financial situation of the population in various regions of Ukraine, corruption in the highest echelons of power, and the information war that gradually engulfed society through the media.

Already November 30, 2014. the formation of the so-called “self-defense” of Euromaidan began, consisting mainly of radical groups and organizations of a nationalist nature (Right Sector, UNA-UNSO, Trizub and others). At the same time, the leaders of the three most opposition parties - Svoboda, Udar and Batkivshchyna - formed the Headquarters of National Resistance.

On January 19, 2014, in Kyiv, after the next “people's meeting” convened by the leaders of the parliamentary opposition, clashes between radical demonstrators and police units began. The opposition demanded the resignation of the government and the continuation of European integration. In the following days, opposition-minded demonstrators in various regions of Ukraine began seizing regional administration buildings. In the western regions such actions found support, in the eastern regions they did not find a response.

The violent confrontation between Euromaidan activists and extremist organizations with law enforcement agencies led to a deterioration in the economic situation, mass unrest, and a deep political crisis.

As a result of negotiations with opposition forces, President V. Yanukovych made concessions: a law was passed on amnesty for riot participants in November - December 2013, and on January 28, Prime Minister Mykola Azarov resigned. However, unrest in Kyiv continued. Representatives of the opposition stated the need to return the parliamentary-presidential system of government and return the text of the Constitution of Ukraine as amended in 2004. President V. Yanukovych was again forced to make a number of concessions: to form a coalition government, to release demonstrators detained in the riots. However, reconciliation between political opponents never happened. Opposition leaders V. Klitschko and A. Yatsenyuk, after a consultation trip to Germany to Chancellor A. Merkel, continued to lobby their interests in the Verkhovna Rada and demand changes in the form of government.

The worsening political conflict resulted in another wave of bloody rallies and clashes in the center of Kyiv, leading to the death of people. The President, who again agreed to concessions, February 21 signed an agreement with the opposition to resolve the crisis in Ukraine, which provided for an immediate return to the Constitution as amended in 2004, constitutional reform and the holding of early presidential elections no later than December 2014. After this, fearing for his life, he left the capital. And, although the president’s video message released a day later stated that he was not going to resign from his post, the Verkhovna Rada decided on early presidential elections on May 25, 2014. The functions of the acting President were delegated to the Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada, Alexander Turchynov. February 24 and. O. Minister of Internal Affairs Arsen Avakov reported on his page in one of social networks to initiate a criminal case into the massacre of civilians in Kyiv, and put V. Yanukovych on the wanted list. On February 28, the ex-president himself held a press conference in Rostov-on-Don, where he called on the Russian leadership not to remain indifferent to the situation in Ukraine.

What happened in the country can be qualified as an anti-constitutional coup, which led to a change of power and further destabilization of the political and economic situation in Ukraine.

Having received the support of the United States and the European Union, A. Yatsenyuk was elected prime minister of the newly formed interim government. The course he took towards European integration was not accepted unambiguously by the population of the country: in the south-eastern regions, which had closer economic and cultural ties with Russia, such a foreign policy tilt was perceived negatively by the majority of residents. Protests were also caused by the actions of far-right organizations, in particular the demolition of Soviet-era monuments, marches under neo-Nazi slogans, etc.

As the speeches became radicalized and new pro-Russian leaders emerged, peaceful protests in the Donetsk and Lugansk regions gradually developed into armed confrontation, and the slogans of federalization of Ukraine were replaced here by demands for regional independence and led to the proclamation of the Donetsk and Lugansk People's Republics. To suppress separatist protests, the Ukrainian leadership announced the start of the so-called anti-terrorist operation.

On March 1, 2014, the Russian flag was raised over Lugansk for the first time. On the same day, at an extraordinary session of the Donetsk City Council, deputies proposed that the regional council hold a referendum “on future fate Donbass", maintain official status for the Russian language on an equal basis with Ukrainian, introduce a moratorium on price increases and decreases social payments, consider Russia as a strategic partner of Donbass, create a municipal police and “until the legitimacy of the laws adopted by the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine is clarified and the recognition of new public authorities, assign full responsibility for the life support of the territories to the authorities local government" A similar decision was made by the Luhansk Regional Council, which, moreover, declared “the illegitimacy of the new bodies executive power", demanded to disarm illegal armed groups, ban pro-fascist and neo-fascist organizations and stated that in case of failure to comply with his demands, "further escalation of civil confrontation and the emergence of a direct threat to the life and health of the population of the Luhansk region" reserves the right "to seek help from brotherly people Russian Federation". “Anti-fascist marches” took place in Dnepropetrovsk, Donetsk, Lugansk and Kharkov, and a number of other cities in South-East Ukraine.

And about. On March 2, Ukrainian President Alexander Turchynov removed Luhansk Governor Vladimir Pristyuk and appointed Mikhail Bolotskikh in his place. On March 9, opponents of the new Kyiv government, advocating the federalization of Ukraine, seized the regional administration building, raised the Russian flag and expelled Mikhail Bolotsky. On March 21, supporters of the new Kyiv government from the “People’s Self-Defense” destroyed the picket tent of pro-Russian activists from the “Lugansk Guard”; on March 27, the new Kyiv authorities banned the broadcasting of Russian channels, which caused protests from residents of the region.

The most large-scale socio-political changes in February - March 2014 occurred in the territory Autonomous Republic of Crimea and Sevastopol. These changes began with protests of the local, mostly Russian-speaking, population against the actions of the new authorities; A shift was carried out on February 23-27 executive bodies authorities of Sevastopol and the Autonomous Republic of Crimea, and they, in turn, refused to recognize the legitimacy of the new Ukrainian government and turned to the Russian leadership for assistance and assistance. On March 17, based on the results of the referendum and the Declaration of Independence adopted on March 11, the sovereign Republic of Crimea was unilaterally proclaimed, which included Sevastopol as a city with a special status. On March 18, an agreement was signed between the Russian Federation and the Republic of Crimea on the admission of the Republic of Crimea to Russia, according to which new entities were formed within Russia - the Republic of Crimea and the federal city of Sevastopol.

On March 30, a rally was held in Lugansk under the slogan: “Yes” to the referendum, “no” to the presidential elections!” On April 6, a thousand-strong rally took place in the city under Russian flags and with St. George’s ribbons, after which the protesters seized the SBU building. On April 29, activists of the Lugansk People's Republic again seized the regional administration building, as well as the prosecutor's office building.

May 11, 2014 years have passed in Luhansk region referendum on self-determination of the Lugansk People's Republic. In preparation for the LPR referendum, the Central Election Commission of Ukraine blocked the electronic databases of voters in the Donetsk and Lugansk regions, so somewhat outdated data was used as of 2012: then 1 million 830 thousand voters were registered in the Lugansk region. In the region, polling stations were open from 8 am to 8 pm, but in some cities their work was extended to 23-24 hours for miners and metallurgists working on shift schedules. Voting took place in a tense atmosphere, especially in Svatovsky, Melovsky, Belokurakinsky and Troitsky districts, controlled by armed forces Ukraine. According to the calculations of the Central Election Commission, the question “Do you support the act of state independence of the Lugansk People’s Republic?” 96.2% answered “yes”, 3.8% of voters answered “no”. The USA, EU, OSCE did not recognize the legitimacy of the referendum, the political leadership of Russia declared respect for the will of the population of Donbass.

May 17, 2014 The General Prosecutor's Office of Ukraine recognized the "Donetsk People's Republic" and the "Luhansk People's Republic" as terrorist organizations.

June 2, 2014 year, a missile strike was carried out by Ukrainian aviation in the center of Lugansk. The target of the Ukrainian Air Force air raid was the building of the Luhansk Regional State Administration, while unguided missiles hit not only the building itself, but also the park named after Heroes of the Great Patriotic War and the parking lot in front of it, killing 8 civilians, 28 were wounded by shrapnel.

Creation of Novorossiya

May 24, 2014, in Donetsk, the Prime Minister of the Donetsk People's Republic - Alexander Boroday and the head of the Lugansk People's Republic - Alexey Karyakin signed a document on unification within the “state of Novorossiya”. On May 31, the official flag of Novorossiya was approved, and on June 1, it was hung in front of the building of the Donetsk regional administration.

June 26, 2014 year, Oleg Tsarev was elected speaker of parliament (head of state) of the Union of People's Republics, and was also approved Constitutionunion.

The self-proclaimed Donetsk and Lugansk People's Republics signed an agreement to unite into the Union of People's Republics - Novorossiya, reports the Ukrainian publication correspondent.net.

Congress of Delegates southeastern regions Ukraine took place on Saturday, May 24, behind closed doors at the Shakhtar Plaza hotel in Donetsk.
The unification document was signed by the Prime Minister of the Donetsk People's Republic Alexander Borodai and the head of the Lugansk People's Republic Alexey Karyakin.

The new state will be called Novorossiya. It will be open to the entry of other "people's republics". The Union will be governed by a special council, which will include three representatives of each people's republic - Donetsk and Lugansk. According to the statement of the people's governor of the Donetsk region Pavel Gubarev, six more regions of Ukraine are planned to join the new state "Novorossiya": Dnepropetrovsk, Zaporozhye, Odessa, Nikolaev, Kharkov and Kherson.

The separation of these regions will take place in the same way as in the Donetsk and Lugansk regions - by holding referendums, Gubarev said.

On the sidelines of the congress, there was an opinion that the Kharkov region is more ready than other regions for such a referendum today, reports RIA News .

Earlier at the congress, a decision was made to create a socio-political association "People's Front", which, according to the organizers' plans, would unite supporters of federalization from all regions of Ukraine.

Comment by Anatoly El-Murid:


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Kyiv media and social networks are actively discussing information about the “breakthrough” of trucks driving across the border into the territory of the DPR with Russian volunteers. Maidan propaganda, in fright, calls them either Chechens or Ossetians. Someone remembered the “Abkhaz agency” ANNA-News, after which, by general vote, those who arrived are now considered Abkhazians. Logic is inaccessible to me personally - but let the Abkhazians be:

Upset Shchenevmerliks ​​accuse the leadership of the Ukrainian Air Force of treason, which was afraid to give the command to destroy the convoy from the air:

One way or another, the presidential elections in Ukraine in the East are clearly becoming less and less important. At the same time, today Putin more than transparently hinted that he views the future president of Ukraine as a “transitional figure”:

It is clear that such a temporary status does not make it possible to take such a president seriously; any actions by Russia will be forced to take into account the limited capacity of such a leader.

The situation is gradually beginning to take shape, although Putin is hinting at an inevitable escalation political struggle in Kyiv can only say that Moscow does not completely rule out further chaos in Ukraine.

What was Novorossiya like a century ago? In 1910, a 14-volume publication edited by V.P. Semenov-Tien-Shansky “Russia. A complete geographical description of our society." We have collected unique facts from the volume “Crimea and Novorossiya”, the re-release of which we are preparing.

"New Byzantium"

1. It was decided to call the lands liberated from the Turks and Crimean Tatars in the 18th century Novorossiya, by analogy with Little Russia and Great Russia. The annexation of these lands during the era of Catherine was part of the “Greek Project”: the advance to the south and the revival of Byzantium with its center in New Rome (Constantinople).

2. At the turn of the 19th-20th centuries, Novorossiya included modern Moldova, Stavropol, Donbass, Rostov, Odessa, Kherson, Nikolaev, Kirovograd and Dnepropetrovsk regions.

3. A lot of cities in New Russia bore Greek names - Stavropol, Simferopol, Sevastpol, Nikopol, Olviopol, Kherson, Balaklava, Alexandria, Tiraspol, etc. This indirectly reflected the “Byzantine idea” of Russian rulers.

Novorossiya and Novorossiysk

4. The modern city of Novorossiysk in Krasnodar region, despite its name, was located slightly south of the provinces, which at the end of the 19th century were commonly associated with Novorossiya.

5. From 1796 to 1802, Novorossiysk was called Dnepropetrovsk, a city on the Dnieper with a rich history. In 1776, the city of Yekaterinoslav (as it was called in 1776-1796 and 1802-1926) became the center of Novorossiya - the then Azov province.

It was planned to make it the “third capital” in 1784 Russian Empire, after Moscow and St. Petersburg. The city changed many names, even managing to be Samara (or rather Samar, a Cossack town on the Samara River, which flows into the Dnieper).

Living conditions

6. At the turn of the 19th-20th centuries, about 12.5 million people lived in Novorossiya:

32% - Great Russians, 42% - Little Russians (lived mainly on the right bank of the Dnieper and Konka);

91% Christians (84.7% Orthodox), 6% Jews, 2% Mohammedans.

7. Novorossiya was a multinational territory. Greeks, Armenians, Jews, Germans, Serbs, Bulgarians, Moldovans, Crimean Tatars, Rusyns, Great and Little Russians lived here. In the Stavropol region there are Kalmyks, Nogais and Turkmens.

8. The warmest winters are in Crimea, where the temperature is above zero. The least hot summer by the sea is in Taganrog and Mariupol.

9. The population was mainly rural (more than 80%). The fewest peasants are in the Kherson and Bessarabia provinces, the most townspeople are in the Kherson and Tauride provinces.

10. Most big number schools and students were observed in Crimea and the southwestern regions.

11. Half of the land was in private hands. The most expensive land was in the Bessarabian province - 90 rubles per hectare.

12. Kherson province surpassed many others in terms of productivity, provision of bread and arable land

13. Novorossiya was not only a new agricultural, but also an industrial region of Russia. The main labor market was located in Kakhovka, a city in the lower reaches of the Dnieper. Women, teenagers and children worked in industry.

14. The number of teenagers in the sleeve production was about 80% and about 13% children. Children were widely involved in the tobacco industry, and teenagers in the rope and tin industry.

River routes and land roads

15. Before the end of the 15th century, there were no permanent land roads. Temporary steppe roads, portages between rivers and horse trails are known.

16. Some of the most ancient routes of New Russia were: the caravan route from Kiev to Kafa (Feodosia) (XV century), the Muravsky Way (from Perekop through the Konka and Samara rivers to Orel and Tula), the Mikitinsky, Kizekermen and Kryukovsky Ways (along the Dnieper) , Black Way (from Ochakov into the depths of Poland).

17. Under Nicholas I, the first highway was built - from Simferopol to Sevastopol.

18. The first railway in Novorossiya was supposed to replace the never-built Volga-Don Canal and ran from the Volga settlement of Dubovka to the Kachalinskaya village on the Don.

19. The most important Russian rivers were located in Novorossiya - the Dniester, the Dnieper and the Don. At the same time, river navigation was poorly developed.

20. Shipping was best developed on the Don, but shallow waters prevented the widespread use of the river fleet. The Don fleet was one of the most expensive.

21. The Dnieper was torn into two parts by rapids, which were extremely dangerous to overcome. Attempts to deepen the bottom in these areas did not bring any serious effect.

22. The Dniester suffered from shallow water and slight rapids and riffles. In addition, cargo traffic along it fell by the end of the 19th century.

Cities of Novorossiya

23. Stavropol, but not Kharkov, belonged to Novorossiya.

24. Most big city New Russia was Odessa. Rostov and Ekaterinoslav (Dnepropetrovsk) competed for second and third place at the turn of the century. Krivoy Rog, one of the largest modern cities in Ukraine, was a small town at a postal station.

25. Odessa and Rostov were the main trading cities that enjoyed a certain freedom. Where there is trade, there are scammers. That is why the cities became the most famous “thieves’ capitals.” Since those times there has been a saying “Odessa is mother, Rostov is father.”

26. Only Warsaw, St. Petersburg and Moscow were larger than Odessa in the Russian Empire. Rostov is already in 14th place, and Ekaterinoslav is in 17th place (1,2 and 3rd place in Novorossiya, respectively).

27. Odessa was the largest seaport and a railway junction. Convenient location on the Black Sea and between the mouths of two large rivers Europe (Dnieper and Dniester) ensured the wealth of the city. From her to European capitals(Vienna and Rome) was closer to travel than to Moscow and St. Petersburg.

28. The Armenians founded several cities in Novorossiya - Nakhichevan-on-Don (now the Rostov region), Grigoriopol (on the banks of the Dniester) and the Holy Cross (modern Budennovsk in Stavropol). Contemporaries noted that Nakhichevan, thanks to its gardens, was superior in beauty to neighboring Rostov. By the end of the 19th century they had merged into a single city.

29. The most important cities of the Greeks were Balaklava (in Crimea) and Mariupol (formerly called Kalmius in Greek). Near Mariupol on the Kalka River (modern Kalmius or Kalchik, which flows into it), a tragic battle between the troops of the ancient Russian princes and the Mongol conquerors took place.

30.Bendery is not only a colloquial name for Ukrainian radical nationalists, but also the oldest city in Transnistria. The name most likely comes from the Persian “harbour, port”. The Moldavian rulers called the city Tyagyankyachya, Tigina or Tungata. The Turks renamed it Bendery.

31. The modern city of Zaporozhye did not arise out of nowhere. Numerous Dnieper rapids ended here. Even before the appearance of the Zaporozhye Sich, a Scythian town existed on the island of Khortitsa (the largest on the Dnieper). The island is mentioned in ancient Russian chronicles as a place of battles and gatherings of princes; the “capital” of the chronicle fords, Protolcha, a trade and craft settlement named after the famous ford, may have been located here.

32. In 1552, the Volyn prince Dmitry Vishnevetsky built the first Cossack town here, in 1756 the Zaporozhye shipyard was founded here, and later the Alexander Fortress. Aleksandrovsk became the most important transport hub of Novorossia.

Excursion into history

33. The ancient Greek names of the Don, Dnieper, Southern Bug and Dniester are Tanais, Borysthenes, Hypanis and Tiras.

34. The Scythians roamed the steppe and along the lower reaches of the great rivers; the Tauri, after whom the peninsula was named, lived in the Crimea from ancient times, as well as the remnants of the Cimmerians. To the west of Borysthenes lived farmers - the Allazons and Callipids, beyond the Tanais - the Sarmatians. The Allazons and Callipids were involved in trade with the ancient Greeks, who had a rich colony at the mouth of the Borysthenes - Olbia. The Greeks called them Helleno-Scythians.

35. In Bessarabia lived the Thracian tribes - Getae and Dacians, from whom, together with the Roman colonists, the Romanians and Moldavians trace their origins.

36. There are still many ancient ramparts left in Novorossiya, the origin of which is still a matter of debate. Obviously only them ancient origin. These are the Serpentine Shafts, the Trajan Shafts and the Perekop Shaft.

37. On the territory of New Russia there were: the Scythian kingdom, the Bosporan kingdom, colonies of Greeks, Italians, Byzantine lands, the Huns Empire, the Gothic state of Oium, the Avar Khanate, Great Bulgaria, Khazar Khaganate, Kievan Rus, Golden Horde, Crimean Khanate, Grand Duchy of Lithuania, lands Ottoman Empire, Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, Zaporozhye Army (Hetmanate).

38. South part Bessarabia - the interfluve of the lower Dniester and Prut rivers was called the Angle. From it came the name of the Slavic tribe of the Streets.

39. The word Bessarabia comes from the name of the Wallachian prince Basarab I (1319 - 1352).

40. “List of Russian cities near and far” (beginning of the 15th century) mentions old Russian cities in Bessarabia: Belgorod, Yassky Torg on the Prut, Khoten on the Dniester, and Peresechen (according to another version, it was located on the Dnieper near modern Dnepropetrovsk).

41. The coastal cities of Novorossiya also have a long history. On the site of Odessa there was a city of Istrian sailors - Istrion (VI century AD). Nearby there was a whole constellation of ancient Greek colonies: Odessos, Olvia, Thira, Nikonion, Isakion, Skopelos, Alectos.

42. New Russia was chosen by the Greeks and Scythians even before our era. Large trading cities were located here. In place of Azov - Tanais, Taganrog - Kremny, Kerch - Mirmekiy, Tiritaka and Panticapaeum, Theodosia retained the name, in place of Sevastopol - Chersonesus, Evpatoria - Kerkintis, Simferopol - Scythian Naples, the ancient capital of the Scythian kingdom.

43. Another oldest city of the Scythians was located near the modern city of Zaporozhye (until 1921 - Alexandrovsk).

44. From the Greek colonies and settlers we got the word “estuary” (translated as harbor, bay).

45. Cities of Crimea lost by Byzantium and Black Sea coast It was quickly mastered by the Italians (Venetians and Genoese), Turks and Crimean Tatars. The Crimean Khanate and Gazaria (Genoese colonies) owned the cities of Crimea. The chronicle Surozh (Pike perch) became the Italian Soldaya, Balaklava was called in Italian Chembalo, Yalta - Dzhialita, Alushta - Alusta, Feodosia - Kaffa. Ak-mosque, Akkerman, Achi-Kale are Turkish cities on the site of Simferopol, Belgorod-Dnestrovsky and Ochakov.

46. ​​In Crimea, descendants of the Goths are still found among the Greeks and Crimean Tatars. These are mainly people with blue eyes And blond hair, completely switched to a foreign language. However, according to the surviving descriptions of medieval historians, the Crimean Gothic language existed until the end of the 18th century.

47. In the Southern Crimea there was the legendary Gothia, which later became the Orthodox principality of Theodoro with a Greek-Gothic-Alanian population and was captured by the Turks in 1475. The capital of Theodoro - Mangup, was deserted and completely disappeared as a settlement today.

48. The city of Old Crimea has changed about 22 names throughout its history. The most famous: Taz, Kareya, Trakana, Solkhat, Levkopol.

49. The Perekop Isthmus, separating Crimea from the mainland, has been the most important place since ancient times, the “gateway” to the mainland. According to Ptolemy and Pliny the Elder, there was even a canal here for some time connecting the Azov and Black Seas. On the site of Perekop there was an ancient Greek trading city called Taphros. Here is the Perekop shaft, which is about 2 thousand years old.

50. Russian cities existed in New Russia back in the 10th century (Belgorod at the mouth of the Dniester and Oleshye at the mouth of the Dnieper). With the weakening of the Golden Horde, new cities appear. They belonged to the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, in which, as is known, the official language and the language of the majority of the population was Russian.

After the death of Vytautas in 1430, a list of castles was given: Sokolets (now Voznesensk, Nikolaev region), Black City (Ochakov, Nikolaev region), Kachuklenov (Odessa).

Cossacks and border guards

51. Border Serbs (Austrian “Cossacks”) asked the Russian government to settle them in Russia. This is how a whole region was born - New Serbia on the territory of the modern Kirovograd region. Its capital became the city of Novomirgorod. More than ten years later, New Serbia became part of the Novorossiysk province.

52. Another area where Serbs and other Balkan settlers lived was Slavyanoserbia (in the Lugansk and Donetsk regions), the center of which was the city of Bakhmut (modern Artyomovsk).

53. Cossacks in New Russia included for the most part in the Don Army and the Zaporozhye Army. The Cossacks settled “beyond the rapids” in the lower reaches of the Dnieper on numerous islands and capes. History remembers successive battles: Khortitsa (on Khortitsa Island), Tokmakovskaya (on Tokmakovka Island), Nikitinskaya (at the Nikitinsky Horn), Chertomlykskaya (along the river), Bazavalukskaya (on Bazavluk Island), Pidpilnyanskaya, Kamenskaya and Aleshkovskaya ( by the name of the rivers that fell).

54. Don Cossacks had towns along the Don and Medveditsa. The most famous are Cherkasy, Monastyrsky, Tsimlyansky.

The head of the DPR announced the creation of Little Russia - a federal state that will include 19 regions of Ukraine. Later it turned out: the LPR does not plan to become part of it, and Zakharchenko did not discuss the initiative with the Kremlin

Residents in Donetsk (Photo: Reuters)

Project "Novorossiya"

After the events in Ukraine in 2013-2014, the Donetsk and Lugansk People's Republics were proclaimed on part of the territory of the Donetsk and Lugansk regions. In May 2014, unofficial referendums were held there. After, according to the organizers, the majority of those who voted supported the independence of the republics from Kyiv, the governing bodies of the DPR and LPR were formed.

The Prosecutor General's Office of Ukraine recognized the DPR and LPR as terrorist organizations.

On May 24, 2014, the day before the presidential elections in Ukraine, in Donetsk, DPR Prime Minister Alexander Boroday and the chairman people's council LPR Alexey Karyakin signed a document on unification as part of the “state of Novorossiya”.

According to the document, the self-proclaimed republics retained their independence.

Historically, Novorossiya was the name given to the territories of the Northern Black Sea region, which were annexed to the Russian Empire as a result of the Russian-Turkish wars in the second half of the 18th century. After the revolution, the lands of Novorossiya were divided between the formed Ukrainian SSR and the Russian SFSR.

At the congress in Donetsk, the “United national front”, which was supposed to operate in the territory of south-east Ukraine and unite supporters of federalization.

“The Declaration assumes that the DPR and LPR, as independent states, create a union on the basis of this joint declaration. The Constitution of the Union of People's Republics is planned to be adopted three months after the adoption of the constitutions of the Donetsk People's Republic and the Lugansk People's Republic. The Union of People's Republics is ready to consider proposals to join international unions, associations, and associations.”

The interests of Novorossiya in the union were to be represented by political movement"Novorossiya". It was announced that the purpose of the union was cooperation in economic, military and other spheres.

“We do not recognize the president and parliament of Ukraine. The Donetsk and Lugansk People's Republics are independent states. This is my position. Therefore, we will recognize the government and the elected president only from the position if they are ready to recognize the independence of the Donbass republics. And second, they must immediately withdraw troops outside our people's republics and stop any fighting».

Head of the People's Militia of Donbass Pavel Gubarev on his Facebook page

Oleg Tsarev was elected speaker of the parliament of the Union of People's Republics. The union had its own constitution, in the text of which the CPR was proclaimed “a democratic, confederal, rule-of-law state where the rights of citizens are recognized and protected.”

Russia about Novorossiya

The territory of southeastern Ukraine was named Novorossiya during Vladimir Putin's direct line. “Another thing is the center, east, southeast of Ukraine. I also spoke about this just now, about Novorossiya, which, of course, is rooted in the Russian state, and these are people with a slightly different mentality,” the president said, commenting on the situation in Ukraine.

The term “Novorossiya” in relation to the territories of the DPR and LPR was heard in the report of the Russian Foreign Ministry dated September 25, 2014 on the meeting of Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov with US Secretary of State John Kerry that took place the day before. “The situation in Ukraine was discussed in the context of ongoing efforts to ensure a sustainable truce in the southeast and establish direct dialogue between the authorities in Kyiv and the leadership of Novorossiya in the context of their implementation of the Minsk agreements on the basis of the peace initiatives of Russian President V.V. Putin,” the document says.

At the end of 2014, the Levada Center conducted a survey “What is Novorossiya?” 46% of Russians answered that this is a historically formed region in the south of Russia, 25% - that this is a historical term that means nothing today, 8% consider Novorossiya “a myth invented now in Moscow,” and another 21% of respondents found it difficult to answer.

On May 31, the official flag of Novorossiya was approved - a scarlet rectangular panel with an azure St. Andrew's Cross with a silver border - a modified flag of the Russian fleet. On June 1, it was hung in front of the Donetsk regional administration building.


Photo: Nikolay Muravyov / TASS

The Novorossiya project was supposed to cover nine regions of Ukraine: Kharkov, Dnepropetrovsk, Donetsk, Lugansk, Zaporozhye, Kherson, Nikolaev, Odessa. According to the head of Gubarev, the separation of the regions was planned to be carried out through referendums. Despite its territorial claims, in fact, the leadership of Novorossiya from the moment of its proclamation controlled only part of the Lugansk and Donetsk regions.

On May 18, 2015, in an interview with the Vechernyaya Makeevka newspaper, DPR Foreign Minister Alexander Kofman announced the completion of the Novorossiya project. He explained this by the reluctance of some regions to unite.

“As for the Novorossiya project... due to the fact that the popular explosion occurred earlier than we planned, since we were unable to keep the population at the rallies, our supporters in other regions also rose up earlier than expected - in Odessa, Kharkov. As a result, more than 40 of our guys died in Odessa, many activists were arrested in Kharkov, and the republics that were supposed to be created in these regions were beheaded. Therefore, the Novorossiya project is closed for some time - until a new political elite arises in all these regions, capable of leading the movement. Well, we don’t have the right to impose our opinion on Kharkov, Zaporozhye, Odessa.”

Speaker of the Novorossiya Parliament Oleg Tsarev clarified that the project was frozen due to the fact that the creation of Novorossiya violates the Minsk agreements signed by the leadership of the DPR and LPR with Ukraine. He also added that the project could be resumed “if Kyiv violates the declared truce, if there is an escalation of hostilities.”

Project "Little Russia"

​July 18, 2017, the head of the DPR, Alexander Zakharchenko, on the creation of Little Russia with its capital in Donetsk.

“We are all here to talk about the future. We propose a plan to reintegrate the country through law and constitution. We must build new country, in which the concepts of conscience and honor are not forgotten. We offer the residents of Ukraine a peaceful way out of the difficult current situation, without war. This is our last proposal not only to Ukrainians, but also to all countries that supported civil war in Donbass. I am convinced that we will do everything possible and impossible.”

Territory

According to Zakharchenko, Little Russia will include 19 regions of the former Ukraine (excluding Crimea). The territory of the declared new state may be about 577 thousand square meters. km.

Now the area of ​​individual districts of Donetsk and Lugansk regions with a special order of self-government is more than 15 thousand square meters. km - about a third of the total area of ​​Donetsk and Lugansk regions. In addition to Donetsk and Lugansk, the list of settlements under the control of separatists in the Donbass includes 22 cities of regional significance. In February 2017, the head of the DPR, Alexander Zakharchenko, signed a decree establishing the status of a state border for the line of contact between the DPR and Ukraine. The line of contact is defined as a conditional demarcation between the territory where settlements are located under the control of the state authorities of Ukraine and the territory under the control of government agencies unrecognized DPR.

Flag

Zakharchenko named the flag of the proclaimed state as the flag of Bohdan Khmelnitsky.

Build

Little Russia was proclaimed a federal state with broad regional autonomy. Issues under the jurisdiction of the central government federal budget, army, special services, customs, Central Bank, tax police, environmental situation, as well as basic standards of education and medicine. Zakharchenko noted that in order to adopt a new constitution, it is proposed to introduce a state of emergency throughout the entire territory of the proclaimed state for a period of up to three years.

Principles and Goals

When preparing the constitution, it is proposed to rely on the principle of military neutrality, traditional values, “which are based on the Orthodox picture of the world,” with equal rights for traditional religions.

It is also proposed to use as a principle the refusal to raise the retirement age, the freezing and possible reduction of housing and communal services tariffs. If the European Union agrees, it is proposed to maintain the visa-free regime introduced in 2017.

Economy

Little Russia, as conceived by the drafters of the constitutional act, should become an economic “bridge” between “East and West, North and South”, resume participation in the CIS, set a course for joining the Union State of Russia and Belarus, and also cooperate with the EAEU. It is planned to create state concerns in key industries.

The Little Russian province was created as part of the Russian Empire in 1764 after the liquidation of the Hetmanate. In 1765-1773, the administrative center of the province was the city of Glukhov, then the center was briefly moved to Kozelets, and in 1775 - to Kyiv. However, already in the fall of 1781, the Little Russian province was divided into Novgorod-Seversky, Chernigov and Kiev governorships.

In 1796, the Little Russian province was recreated, and this time it included not only the territory of the three governorships, but also the environs of Poltava and Kremenchug. At the same time, Kyiv was removed from the province, and Chernigov took its place as the provincial center.

In 1802, the Little Russian Governorate was divided into Chernigov and Poltava Governorates, which were part of the Little Russian Government General, to which the Kharkov Governorate was later annexed. The residence of the Governor-General until 1837 was Poltava, and from 1837 until the abolition of the Governor-General in 1856 - Kharkov.

After 1856, the name “Little Russia” until 1917 was semi-officially used to collectively designate the Volyn, Kyiv, Podolsk, Kharkov, Poltava and Chernigov provinces.

Despite the fact that the message on the Donetsk Republic News portal stated that the decision to create Little Russia was made jointly by the authorities of the DPR and LPR, the LPR denied its participation in the project. Chairman of the People's Council of the LPR Vladimir Degtyarenko that the authorities of the self-proclaimed republic did not participate in the signing of the document. In addition, he added that he did not consider the creation of Little Russia expedient.

President of Ukraine Petro Poroshenko, commenting on Zakharchenko’s initiative, said that Little Russia faces the same fate as the project to create Novorossiya. A recording of his speech appeared on his Twitter page, in which he talks about Russia’s desire to split Ukraine in half with the help of the Novorossiya project.

“This project is completely closed. The new Ukrainian army stopped Russian aggression. When I was elected president, the entire Donbass was occupied by Russia. We liberated two-thirds of the territory of Donbass, including Severodonetsk, Lisichansk, Kramatorsk, Slavyansk, Mariupol and many other cities. We destroyed Russia’s dream of Novorossiya,” Poroshenko said.

The head of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People's Republic on the creation of a new state - Little Russia. According to him, this is necessary to get out of deadlock in Ukraine. It is planned to make Donetsk the capital; Kyiv is destined to become a historical and cultural center. I figured out what the new state could be like and what would happen with the Minsk agreements.

Re-establishment of Ukraine

At a special press conference, Zakharchenko read out the Constitutional Act of Little Russia, as well as a political declaration. He announced the creation of a new state on behalf of representatives of the regions of the “former Ukraine”. “We agree that the new state will be called Little Russia, since the very name “Ukraine” has discredited itself,” he said. It is planned to make the flag of Bohdan Khmelnytsky the state flag. “We proceed from the fact that the Donetsk People’s Republic, along with Lugansk people's republic, remain the only territories of Ukraine, not counting Crimea, where legitimate power has been preserved,” Zakharchenko added. He also noted that a regime would be introduced on the territory of Little Russia for three years. state of emergency. According to him, this is being done “in order to avoid chaos.” “During this time, the activities of any parties are prohibited, at the same time investigations begin with the involvement of the international community into crimes in Odessa, on the Maidan, in the Donbass. This decision has been ripe for a long time, but everything has its time, and today we are offering the option that will stop the war,” Zakharchenko said.

The need to create Little Russia is explained by the fact that the Ukrainian state is destroyed and, in his opinion, cannot be restored. According to him, the situation in Donbass has reached a dead end, a “knot has been tied that can no longer be cut.” The head of the DPR emphasized that in this regard it is necessary new plan reintegration of Ukraine. “Not long ago we launched state program to unite the peoples of Donbass, we offer all residents of Ukraine a way out of the war through the re-establishment of the country - this is a peaceful way out,” Zakharchenko said. He also listed the conditions under which the idea will be implemented: it must be supported by the residents of Ukraine and the international community. However, whether they will do this is still unclear.

The Minister of Revenue and Duties of the DPR that Little Russia will become a federal state with broad autonomy. Issues of the federal budget, army and intelligence services will remain under the jurisdiction of the central authorities. “We propose to elect representatives from all regions on a personal basis to the Constitutional Assembly, at which the country of Little Russia will be established and a new constitution will be adopted,” he said. Timofeev added that the Constitution of Little Russia will be adopted in a national referendum after discussion. Before this, “a broad public discussion will be held at both the regional and federal levels.” The official added that the new state will set a course towards joining the union of Russia and Belarus.

"Looks weird"

The announcement of the creation of Little Russia raises several questions. Firstly, the self-proclaimed Lugansk People's Republic denied its participation in the project. The head of the LPR did not say a word about this, but the chairman of the people's council, Vladimir Degtyarenko, expressed doubts about the feasibility of the Donetsk initiative. “The Lugansk People's Republic did not send official delegates to Donetsk to participate in the meeting of representatives of the regions of Ukraine. Moreover, we were not even aware of the intention to hold this event; this issue was not agreed upon with us,” Degtyarenko explained.

Second important point: It is not very clear how the creation of Little Russia correlates with the Minsk agreements. Actually, after the signing of the Minsk agreements, another integration project, Novorossiya, the creation of which was announced on May 24, 2014, sank into oblivion. It was assumed that the Dnepropetrovsk, Zaporozhye, Odessa, Nikolaev, Kharkov and Kherson regions of Ukraine would be able to join Novorossiya. In the south-east of Ukraine at that time there were mass protests of citizens outraged by the events on the Maidan; many were inspired by the initiative. However, in May 2015, Donbass officials announced the “closure of the project.” The speaker of the Novorossiya parliament then explained that “the activity is frozen because it does not fit into the peace plan signed in the presence of the Normandy Four countries.” Moreover, in January 2017, Alexander Zakharchenko said that because of the Minsk agreements, the unification of the DPR and LPR is impossible. According to him, he and Igor Plotnitsky are “signatories of the Minsk agreements.” “This means that there are two signatures as heads of state. Today, any unification is a change in the Minsk format itself, which we this moment are not ready,” explained the head of the DPR.

Now, however, in Donetsk, Little Russia does not contradict the agreements in the Belarusian capital. “Our proposals do not contradict Minsk-2. This is the implementation of "Minsk". In “Minsk” there is no definition of what or how it should be called, there is integrity of borders, sovereignty. So, we proclaimed the sovereignty and integrity of the borders,” DPR Deputy Prime Minister Alexander Timofeev told reporters.

Oleg Tsarev told journalists that the creation of Little Russia raises many questions: “Firstly, Zakharchenko had to coordinate this with the parliament of the republic. Secondly, with the Lugansk People's Republic. But there are no statements from [Igor] Plotnitsky, although they should have announced this together. It all looks strange."

It is still difficult to talk about the prospects of the new state. It is clear that Little Russia will not receive recognition from international structures, just as the DPR and LPR did not receive it. At the beginning of March, Zakharchenko allocated only 60 days of life to the Ukrainian state - perhaps the head of the DPR is still confident in his forecast and is preparing to take over the power that is about to collapse in Kyiv.

On the other hand, the Donetsk initiative may provoke increased activity Ukrainian security officials and politicians. In Kyiv, the idea of ​​abolishing the ATO (anti-terrorist operation in Kyiv is called military operations in Donbass) has been actively discussed lately, and a law on armed operations is being prepared for adoption. It is possible that the emergence of Little Russia will lead to complete refusal parties from the Minsk agreements and a new aggravation on the contact line. The President of Ukraine has already “buried” the integration project.

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