Novorossiya (confederation)

For the historical territory of the Russian Empire, see Novorossiya.
Novorossiya

New Russia

Новороссия (Russian)
Новоросія (Ukrainian)
Flag Coat of arms
Anthem: "Живи Новороссия" Zhivi, Novorossiya! on YouTube (Russian) (Ukrainian)
"Live, New Russia!"
Territories controlled by DPR and LPR 02/2015.
Territories controlled by DPR and LPR 02/2015.
Status Self-proclaimed
Official languages Russian
Ukrainian
Religion Russian Orthodox (official)[1]
Membership  Donetsk People's Republic
 Luhansk People's Republic
Government Provisional Confederation
 -  Speaker of the Parliament Oleg Tsaryov[2]
 -  Head of the DPR Alexander Zakharchenko
 -  Head of the LPR Igor Plotnitsky
Confederation between Donetsk and Luhansk
 -  Agreed 24 May 2014 
 -  Name adopted 15 July 2014 

Novorossiya or New Russia (Russian: Новоро́ссия, tr. Novorossiya; IPA: [nəvɐˈrosʲɪjə]; Ukrainian: Новоросія, Novorosiya), also referred to as the Union of People's Republics (Russian: Сою́з наро́дных респу́блик, tr. Soyuz Narodnykh Respublik; IPA: [sɐˈjus nɐˈrodnɨx rʲɪˈspublʲɪk]; Ukrainian: Союз Народних Республік, Soyuz Narodnykh Respublik), is a confederation of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People's Republic (DPR) and Luhansk People's Republic (LPR) in eastern Ukraine, both of which share a border with Russia.

The two constituent republics of the confederation are not recognized by any country and are classified by Ukraine as terrorist organizations.[3] The creation of Novorossiya was declared on 22 May 2014, and agreements were signed between the leaders of the two organizations on 24 May.[1][4] On 24 June, leaders from the "Supreme Soviet" of each group declared the merger of their constitutions, and the creation of Novorossiya as a confederal "Union of People's Republics".[5]

Background

Novorossiya was the name of a territory of the Russian Empire formed from the Crimean Khanate, which had been annexed several years after the Treaty of Küçük Kaynarca concluded the Russo-Turkish War in 1774. Novorossiya initially included today's Southern Ukraine as well as some parts of today's Russia (including Novorossiysk). The region was soon colonized by Ukrainian, Romanian, Russian, German, Greek, Bulgarian, Jewish and other settlers. The major cities were Odessa, Kherson, Mykolaiv, and Novorossiysk.. In 1802 the province of Novorossiya was split into three Governorates. In 1917 most of 18th century Novorossiya was incorporated into the newly proclaimed Ukrainian People's Republic because ethnic Ukrainians constituted the majority of the population. After the defeat of pro-independence Ukrainians in the Ukrainian–Soviet War, the Soviet government confirmed that Southern Ukraine was part of the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic.

Following the collapse of the Soviet Union[6] the term Novorossiya began to be used again in calls for the independence or secession of regions of Ukraine corresponding to different areas.[7] However, throughout 1990s and 2000s, these movements remained marginal and failed to win support from the majority of the local population.[8] Dmitry Trenin of the Carnegie Moscow Center wrote that in 2003 some Russian academics discussed the idea of a pro-Russia Novorossiya state being formed out of southern Ukraine in response to moves towards bringing Ukraine into NATO.[7]

The term Novorossiya came into usage in 2014 among Antimaidan protesters following the Euromaidan Ukrainian Revolution. A Novorossiya account was created on Twitter and gained thousands of followers in the first weekend.[7] Amidst talks in Geneva on resolving the rising unrest in southern and eastern Ukraine, President Putin noted at a Q&A session that the southern and eastern portions of Ukraine had originally been part of Novorossiya and suggested that it had been a mistake to cede them.[9]

History

Formation

Pavel Gubarev (left)
Alexander Zakharchenko, leader of the Donetsk People's Republic, 27 December 2014

The New Russia Party, founded on 13 May 2014 in Donetsk, Ukraine,[10] declared on its first congress of 22 May 2014 the formation of a new self-declared state named 'Novorossiya', inspired by the historical region of the Russian Empire that carried that name. The congress was attended by separatist officials of the Donetsk People's Republic, Donbass People's Militia as well as by the Donetsk Republic leader Pavel Gubarev, ultranationalist/Stalinist writer Alexander Prokhanov,[11] fascist political scientist and Eurasia Party leader Aleksandr Dugin, and Valery Korovin.[12][12][13] According to Gubarev the state would include (the major cities currently not under control of separatists) Kharkiv[nb 1], Kherson, Dnipropetrovsk, Mykolaiv, Odessa and Zaporizhia.[16][17] Two days later, the self-appointed 'Prime Minister' of Donetsk Alexander Borodai and Luhansk "head of the Republic" Aleksey Karyakin signed a document behind closed doors formalizing their merger into the new confederation.[18]

In an interview on 31 May, Denis Pushilin, then acting as head of state of the Donetsk People's Republic, stated that Novorossiya currently existed as a union of people's republics, but cooperation could be deepened if more territories were to join.[19] On 24 June, the two People's Republics proclaimed their accession to the union of people's republics, and at the second plenum of the new Parliament of Novorossiya on 15 July, the confederation adopted the official name of Novorossiya.[20]

Parallel December 2014 declaration

On 12 December 2014, a "Congress of Deputies of All Levels" led by former DPR deputy foreign minister Boris Borisov, alongside figures such as Pavel Gubarev, issued a renewed declaration of the state sovereignty of the "Union of Sovereign Republics" of Novorossiya, claiming it to be an amendment of the 1922 Treaty on the Creation of the USSR.[21][22] In contrast to the May agreement, the new declaration aimed to build a new executive "from scratch".[22] An official of the DPR responded that although Borisov was well-intentioned, his initiative did not have the material backing necessary for success.[22]

Military

The armed forces of Novorossiya were composed of the Donbass People's Militia[23][24] and the LPR People's Militia (formerly known as Army of the South-East).

The militias of the Donetsk People's Republic and Luhansk People's Republic, merged into one group on 16 September 2014, forming the "United Armed Forces of Novorossiya".[25]

It is regarded as a terrorist group by the Ukrainian government, and was accused in the downing of Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 on 17 July 2014.

Demographics

DPR supporters in Donetsk, 20 December 2014

People

About 3–3.09 million people live in the self-proclaimed people's republics controlled areas combined; more than 1 million residents have been displaced and more than 5,000 have been killed so far, according to the UN.[26][27]

Controversy

The status of Novorossiya came into dispute on 26 May 2014, when according to Bolotov, "none of the agreements have been concluded" but the intention is to form a "Union of People's Republics".[28]

On 1 January 2015, former Donetsk Republic Prime Minister Alexander Borodai, who resigned on 7 August 2014,[29][30] stated that "there is no Novorossiya" and that the proposed state was a "dream that was not brought to life" and called it a false start.[31]

Russian dissidents Alexandr Skobov and Andrey Piontkovsky commented that in its political features (nationalism, imperialism) the entity has similarities to 20th-century fascist movements.[32][33]

See also

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Federal State of New Russia.

Notes

  1. ↑ The city of Kharkiv was not part of the historical region of Novorossiya; but of the historical region Sloboda Ukraine.[14][15]

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Babiak, Mat (22 May 2014). "Welcome to New Russia". Ukrainian Policy. Archived from the original on 8 June 2014. Retrieved 26 May 2014.
  2. ↑ "Federal State of Novorossiya / Union of People's Republics".
  3. ↑ "Ukraine's prosecutor general classifies self-declared Donetsk and Luhansk republics as terrorist organizations". Kyiv Post. 16 May 2014.
  4. ↑ "Donetsk, Lugansk People's Republics unite in Novorossiya". Voice of Russia. 24 May 2014. Archived from the original on 7 June 2014. Retrieved 26 May 2014.
  5. ↑ Babiak, Mat (24 June 2014). "Terrorist organizations declare New Russian "Union of People’s Republics"". Euromaidan Press. Archived from the original on 14 July 2014. Retrieved 25 June 2014.
  6. ↑ Ст. Донецко-Криворожская советская республика (in Russian) (Большой энциклопедический словарь / Гл. ред. А. М. Прохоров. Изд. 2-е, перераб. и доп. — 2000 ed.). Archived from the original on 30 November 2012.
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 Kinstler, Linda (7 April 2014). "Protesters in Eastern Ukraine Are Chanting "Novorossiya", an Old Term That's Back in Vogue". The New Republic. Archived from the original on 19 April 2014. Retrieved 26 May 2014.
  8. ↑ Patrick Heenan; Monique Lamontagne, eds. (2013). The CIS Handbook. Chicago and London: Fitzroy Dearborn. p. 75.
  9. ↑ Gentleman, Amelia (17 April 2014). "Putin asserts right to use force in east Ukraine". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 17 May 2014. Retrieved 26 May 2014.
  10. ↑ "Donetsk announces creation of Novorossiya Party". Kyiv Post. 13 May 2014. Archived from the original on 22 May 2014. Retrieved 26 May 2014.
  11. ↑ Young, Cathy (21 May 2014). "Fascism Comes to Ukraine -- From Russia".
  12. ↑ 12.0 12.1 Состоялся учредительный съезд ОПД "Партия Новороссия" [Founding congress of the social-political movement "New Russia Party" held] (in Russian). novorossia.su. 22 May 2014. Archived from the original on 22 May 2014. Retrieved 26 May 2014.
  13. ↑ Paul Goble (8 August 2013). "Window on Eurasia: To Save Russia and Himself, Putin Must Become a National Bolshevik, Izborsky Expert Says". windowoneurasia2.blogspot.ca. Retrieved 20 April 2015.
  14. ↑ Serhii Plokhy (1 January 2005). Unmaking Imperial Russia: Mykhailo Hrushevsky and the Writing of Ukrainian History. University of Toronto Press. p. 19. ISBN 978-0-8020-3937-8. Retrieved 20 April 2015.
  15. ↑ Richard Sakwa (18 December 2014). Frontline Ukraine: Crisis in the Borderlands. I.B.Tauris. p. 9. ISBN 978-0-85773-804-2. Retrieved 20 April 2015.
  16. ↑ У Донецьку створили партію "Новоросія" [In Donetsk the party "New Russia" has been founded]. Ukrayinska Pravda (in Ukrainian). 23 May 2014. Archived from the original on 23 May 2014. Retrieved 26 May 2014.
  17. ↑ "Ukraine crisis timeline". BBC News Online. 8 May 2014. Archived from the original on 26 May 2014. Retrieved 26 May 2014.
  18. ↑ СМИ: Террористы из "ДНР" и "ЛНР" объединились [Mass media: Terrorists of the "LNR" and "DNR" have united] (in Russian). UNIAN. 24 May 2014. Archived from the original on 25 May 2014. Retrieved 26 May 2014.
  19. ↑ Интервью Дениса Пушилина журналистам Washington Post 31 мая [Interview of Denis Pushilin with a journalist of the Washington Post, 31 May] (video) (in Russian). 31 May 2014. 12 minutes in. Retrieved 1 June 2014.
  20. ↑ Парламент Союза народных республик принял конституцию Новороссии (in Russian). TASS. 15 June 2014. Retrieved 11 February 2015.
  21. ↑ В самопровозглашенных республиках Донбасса приняли "Декларацию о госсуверенитете Новороссии" (in Russian). Dialog.ua. 14 December 2014. Retrieved 10 February 2015.
  22. ↑ 22.0 22.1 22.2 Vladimir Dergachev (19 January 2015). Сепаратисты готовят замену ополченцам. Gazeta.ru (in Russian). Retrieved 10 February 2015.
  23. ↑ Жители Славянска поддержали "Народное ополчение Донбасса" // "Взгляд.RU" от 12 апреля 2014
  24. ↑ ""Народное ополчение Донбасса" строит баррикады"
    Протесты в Славянске Донецкой области // "ИТАР-ТАСС" от 13 апреля 2014
  25. ↑ ДНР и ЛНР приступили к созданию Армии Новороссии. Novorossiya (in Russian). 16 September 2014. Retrieved 19 September 2014.
  26. ↑ "Ukraine Rebels Hold Polls Rebuked From Kiev to Washington". Bloomberg. Archived from the original on 2014-11-02.
  27. ↑ "Nowhere to Run in Eastern Ukraine". www.nytimes.com. 2014-11-13. Retrieved 16 November 2014.
  28. ↑ В.Болотов опроверг информацию об объединении ЛНР и ДНР в Новороссию [V. Bolotov denied the merger of the LNR and the DNR in Novorossiya] (in Russian). Ostro.org. 26 May 2014. Archived from the original on 20 June 2014. Retrieved 26 May 2014.
  29. ↑ "August 7, 2014 - Donetsk People's Republic PM announces resignation". Rt.com. 7 August 2014. Retrieved 20 January 2015.
  30. ↑ Olearchyk, Roman (7 August 2014). "Rebel leader quits Donetsk amid infighting". Financial Times. Retrieved 20 January 2015.
  31. ↑ "Ex-prime minister of unrecognised Donetsk republic: There's no 'Novorossiya', but a false start". belsat.eu. 2 January 2015. Retrieved 3 January 2015.
  32. ↑ Aleksandr Skobov (21 July 2014). Реконструкция ада [Reconstruction of hell]. Grani.ru (in Russian). Archived from the original on 28 July 2014. Retrieved 21 July 2014.
  33. ↑ Andrey Piontkovsky (18 July 2014). "Военная хитрость" Путина опрокинута санкциями США 16 июля [Putin's "military ruse" capsized by US sanctions on July 16]. kasparov.ru. Retrieved 21 July 2014.

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Federal State of Novorossiya.

Coordinates: 48°00′10″N 37°48′19″E / 48.0028°N 37.8053°E