MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 20th July, 2021) The distribution of Russian passports to residents of the self-proclaimed people's republics of Donetsk (DPR) and Luhansk (LPR) cannot be considered as an instrument or a sign of subsequent incorporation of these territories into Russia, Kremlin Deputy Chief of Staff Dmitry Kozak has said.
Approximately 470,000 residents of the Donbas republics have obtained Russian passports. Kozak mentioned that the decision to hand out passports was a humanitarian one.
"The decision to issue passports cannot be regarded as an instrument or signs of the subsequent incorporation of the DPR and LPR into Russia," Kozak told the Politique Internationale magazine in an interview, shared by the Russian embassy in France.
The Kremlin official also said that Russia "provides economic and humanitarian support to residents of Donbas" and not military assistance.
