By accepting the leaders of the armed formations in CADLO to the ranks of the Kremlin's United Russia party, Moscow has in fact acknowledged that certain areas of the Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts are run by its occupation administrations. This was stated at a meeting of the OSCE Permanent Council by Permanent Representative of Ukraine to international organizations in Vienna Yevhenii Tsymbaliuk, - Ukrinform reports.
"Moscow continues to incorporate the occupied territories into Russia's political space. Just a few days ago, the United Russia party accepted 100 new members from across the occupied Donbas, including the self-styled leaders of the occupation administration", - Tsymbaliuk stated.
He stressed that not only is this another act directed against the sovereignty of Ukraine and the Minsk agreements. "This is also a clear demonstration of who the occupation administrations represent – not the population of the occupied territories, but Russia's ruling political party", - the Ukrainian diplomat added.
As OstroV reported, leaders of the "DNR" and "LNR" Denis Pushilin and Leonid Pasechnik became party card holders at a congress of the Russia's ruling United Russia party in Moscow.