Novorossiya (confederation)

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

Novorossiya New Russia Новороссия (Russian) Новоросія (Ukrainian)
Flag Coat of arms of Novorossiya Coat of arms
Anthem: Zhivi, Novorossiya! on YouTube Template:Ru icon Template:Uk icon "Live, New Russia!" Based on the Ukrainian SSR anthem
Territories controlled by DPR and LPR.
Status	Self-proclaimed
Capital	Donetsk
Official languages	Russian Ukrainian
Religion	Russian Orthodox (official)
Membership	Donetsk People's Republic Lugansk People's Republic
Government	Provisional Confederation
• President	Valery Kaurov
• Speaker of the Unity Parliament	Oleg Tsaryov
Confederation between Donetsk and Lugansk
• Proclaimed	22 May 2014
• Declared	24 May 2014

Novorossiya or New Russia ([Новороссия, Novorossiya] Error: {{Lang-xx}}: text has italic markup (help); [Новоросія, Novorosiya] Error: {{Lang-xx}}: text has italic markup (help)), also referred to as the Union of People's Republics ([Союз Народных Республик, Soyuz Narodnykh Respublik] Error: {{Lang-xx}}: text has italic markup (help); [Союз Народних Республік, Soyuz Narodnykh Respublik] Error: {{Lang-xx}}: text has italic markup (help)), is a proposed confederation of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People's Republic and Lugansk People's Republic in eastern Ukraine, both of which share a border with Russia. The name "Novorossiya", which translates literally as "New Russia", expresses the political preferences as well as simultaneously making a reference to the corresponding historial region .

The two self-proclaimed Republics are not recognized by any country and are classified by Ukraine as terrorist organizations. The creation of Novorossiya was declared on 22 May 2014 and agreements were signed between the leaders of the two self-proclaimed republics on 24 May. On 24 June, leaders from both groups' "Supreme Soviet" declared the merger of their constitutions, and the creation of Novorossiya as a confederate "Union of People's Republics". 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 4,000 killed so far according to the UN.

The self-declared confederation was not recognized by any other states. On January 1, 2015, a former Donetsk Republic Prime Minister Alexander Borodai, who had resigned on 7 August 2014, stated that "there is no Novorossiya" and that the proposed state was a "dream that was not brought to life."

History

Main articles: 2014 pro-Russian unrest in Ukraine and War in Donbass

Information

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, 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 as part of the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic. Following the collapse of the Soviet Union the term Novorossiya began to be used again in calls for the independence or succession of the regions of Ukraine corresponding to different areas... However, throughout 1990s and 2000s, these movements remained marginal and failed to win support of the majority of the local population.

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.

The term 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. 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.

Formation

Pavel Gubarev (left)

Alexander Zakharchenko, leader of the Donetsk People's Republic, 27 December 2014

The right-wing nationalist New Russia Party, founded on 13 May 2014 in Donetsk, Ukraine, declared, in it's first congress on 22 May 2014, the formation of a new self-proclaimed 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, writer Alexander Prokhanov, nationalist political scientist and Eurasia Party leader Aleksandr Dugin, and Valery Korovin. The state would, according to Dugin, have its capital city in Donetsk, Russian Orthodox Christianity as the state religion, and would nationalize major industries. According to Gubarev the state would also include (major cities currently not under control of separatists) Kharkiv, Kherson, Dnipropetrovsk, Mykolaiv, Odessa and Zaporizhia. Two days later, the self-appointed 'Prime Minister' of Donetsk Alexander Borodai and Lugansk "head of the Republic" Alexei Koriakin signed a document, behind closed doors, formalizing their merger into the new confederation.

The status of Novorossiya came into dispute on 26 May, when according to Bolotov, "none of the agreements have been concluded" but the intention is to form a "Union of People's Republics". In an interview on 31 May, Denis Pushilin, head of state of the Donetsk People's Republic, stated that Novorossiya currently exists as a union of people's republics, but cooperation could be deepened if more territories were to join.

In July a "Manifesto of the National Front of Liberation of Ukraine, Novorossiya and Carpathian Russia" was published in Russian media. The manifesto defines the objective of the separatist movement to be "establishing on the territory of Ukraine a just, social, national republic without oligarchs and corrupt bureaucracy" and that their main enemies were "liberal-fascist ruling elites".

Politics

The prospective government structure and political programme of the new state, recounted here, are outlined in the official programme of the New Russia Party, proclaimed at Donetsk and published online on 23 May 2014.

Government

The supreme legislative authority of Novorossiya is the People's Soviet, formed on the basis of nomination by the Soviets of People's Representatives or labour groups. Representatives will be held accountable to the head of the People's Soviet, elected from among its members.

The executive body of Novorossiya is the cabinet, which is formed by its president and approved by the People's Soviet.

Military

See also: United Armed Forces of Novorossiya

The armed forces of Novorossiya are composed of the People's Self-Defense and the People's Militia, which are both voluntary and professional. The People's Soviet reserves the right to announce the mobilization of reservists in the case of "aggravation". All officers must swear allegiance to the people of Novorossiya, and breaking of the oath will lead to "exceptional punishment".

Criticism

Russian dissidents Alexandr Skobov and Andrey Piontkovsky, regular commentators for Radio Liberty, commented that in its political features (nationalism, imperialism) the entity has similarities with 20th century fascist movements.

Economics

Land, its subsoil, water, flora and fauna, as well as major industrial and financial assets created by "the labor of the people," are public property, and cannot be privately owned. Large property, industrial and financial assets will be owned by the state. Remuneration of each person will be measured by the "usefulness of [one's] work to society".

Demographics

DPR supporters in Donetsk, 20 December 2014

Language

The official state languages are Russian and Ukrainian, and the use of other languages is free for the purpose of communication.

Religion

All spiritual and religious education will belong to the Russian Orthodox Church under the Moscow Patriarchate. The state allows for freedom of religion except in cases, where it deemed that it would "destroy the fabric of society and social harmony". Separatists have been accused of the abduction, torture and murder of four Protestant men in the city of Sloviansk.

Proposed territorial extent

Donetsk and Luhansk Oblast (dark green) and the maximum envisaged territorial control of Novorossiya (light green), according to the leader of the Donetsk People's Republic, Pavel Gubarev

Presently, only the self-declared Donetsk People's Republic and Lugansk People's Republic have agreed to participate in the unification process. According to the leader of the Donetsk People's Republic, Pavel Gubarev, however, the envisaged final extent of the state will encompass not only the Ukrainian Oblasts (administrative divisions) of Donetsk and Luhansk, but also the present Ukrainian oblasts of Kharkiv (which was not part of the historical region Novorossiya), Kherson, Odessa, Mykolaiv, Zaporizhia, and Dnipropetrovsk, and the break-away Transnistria region of Moldova.

However according to the irredentist "Manifesto of National Front of Liberation of Ukraine, Novorossiya and Carpathian Russia" the Novorussian revolution targets all of Ukraine. The manifesto also redefines separatism in pan-nationalist terms with the consequence that it is Ukraine itself that is regarded as "separatist", having divorced itself from "Great Russia".

The borders of the Russian World extend significantly farther than borders of the Russian Federation. I fulfill a historic mission in the name of the Russian nation and ethnicity unified by Orthodox christianity. Just as in the Caucasus, I'm fighting in Ukraine against separatism – this time not a Chechen, but a Ukrainian one. Because there is Russia, Great Russia, Russian Empire. And now Ukrainian separatists in Kiev are fighting against the Russian Empire.

— Alexander Borodai,

See also

• 2014 pro-Russian conflict in Ukraine
• United Armed Forces of Novorossiya
• War in Donbass
• Pavel Gubarev
• Donetsk–Krivoy Rog Soviet Republic
• List of active separatist movements in Europe
• List of active rebel groups
• 2014 Crimean crisis
• Donbass Association

External links

• Official press releases