Russian President Vladimir Putin has signed a decree recognising the two breakaway regions in eastern Ukraine as independent entities.
The West has repeatedly warned Russia not to recognise the Dontesk and Luhansk.
Leaders of the self-proclaimed Donetsk and Lugansk People’s Republics, Denis Pushilin and Leonid Pasechnik, had asked Russian President Vladimir Putin to recognize the republics’ independence.
Following the recognition, Putin has reportedly ordered Russian troops to enter the region to maintain peace and security of the people in Dontesk and Luhansk.