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Russian-backed rebels in east Ukraine have proclaimed the creation of a new state known as Malorossiya, which translates as "Little Russia." Germany has condemned the proposal as "completely unacceptable."
Rebel forces in eastern Ukraine on Tuesday announced that they plan to hold a referendum calling for the creation of a new state known as Malorossiya, which translates as "Little Russia."
In a statement published on the rebel-aligned Donetsk News Agency, rebel leader Alexander Zakharchenko said that the new state would aspire to include not only the areas under insurgent control, but also the rest of Ukraine.
Representatives from the self-declared "People's Republics" of Donetsk and Luhansk in east Ukrainehad agreed to "declare the establishment of a new state, which is the successor of Ukraine," said Zakharchenko.
The declaration went on to say that they "the government of Ukraine has proven itself to be a failed state" and that Ukraine has "demonstrated its current and future incapability of providing peace and prosperity to its residents."
Under the proposal, Malorossiya would cover the entire area of Ukraine, while the capital would be moved from Kiev to the insurgent bastion of Donetsk. Kiev would be reduced to a "historical and cultural center."
The self-proclaimed authorities in Donetsk have repeatedly expressed their intentions to join Russia. The Kremlin, however, has stopped short of annexing the area and denies to have propped up rebel groups with military support, despite overwhelming evidence suggesting otherwise.
Germany condemns 'Little Russia' announcement
The German government decried the proposal for a new state as "completely unacceptable."
Responding to an email inquiry, a spokesperson for the federal government told DW: "Mr Zakharchenko has no legitimacy to speak on behalf of Ukraine. We expect Russia to also immediately condemn this step, and that it neither respects nor even acknowledges it."
There has been no immediate comment from the Kremlin.
A dent in the Minsk accord
The notion of a "Little Russia," which has next to no chance of being realized, casts any hope of a ceasefire deal into doubt. Ukraine's pro-western president, Petro Poroshenko, responded by vowing to restore Ukrainian sovereignty to the insurgent-held areas of Donbas and Crimea. Poroshenko's spokesman quoted the president as saying that "The 'new Russia' project is buried."
Since Ukraine in 2014 ousted its pro-Russian president, Viktor Yanukovych, amid mass protests calling for closer ties with the West, pro-western security forces have been locked in a battle with pro-Moscow rebels who took controls of parts of the east. Fighting to date has cost some 10,000 lives.
The 2015 Minsk accord, a ceasefire deal brokered by Ukraine, Russia, Germany and France, has hit a wall with clashes continuing along the frontlines. All sides have called for a restart in talks but progress continues to stall.
Ukraine's envoy for negotiations with the rebels, Yevgen Marchuk, told local media that Tuesday's announcement "could block the negotiations entirely."
The German government told DW that "a solution to the conflict could only be achieved through negotiation" and that "Russia, the Russian-backed separatists and Ukraine have all committed" to the Minsk agreement.
dm/rc (AP, dpa)
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