The Russian authorities, by signing a decree on the simplified granting of Russian citizenship to residents of the occupied territories of Donbas, have launched the Abkhaz scenario in eastern Ukraine.

A former representative of the Ukrainian president in the Autonomous Republic of Crimea, public and political figure Borys Babin, wrote this on Facebook.

"The Russian Federation has launched the Abkhaz scenario in the east of Ukraine. Russian citizenship to residents of the occupied territories is its first formal stage. When the aggressor state recognizes the 'independence' of the 'people's republics' is an open issue. But, in fact, it has already been resolved by the Kremlin, apparently after [the first round of Ukraine's presidential election on] March 31 and especially after [the runoff vote on] April 21," Babin wrote.

In his opinion, tactically, this is a fiasco of the policy of the Minsk agreements, and strategically, this is the recognition by Russia of the impossibility of having a puppet government in the whole of Ukraine in the near future.

In this context, he put a rhetorical question to Ukraine's foreign minister: "Why don't we sever diplomatic relations with the Russian Federation?"

"A new ruling team will have to resolve this issue," Babin said.

According to Russian media, Russian President Vladimir Putin on April 24 signed a decree under which residents of the territories of Donetsk and Luhansk regions temporarily occupied by Russia have the right to apply for Russian citizenship under a simplified procedure.

op