SUMMARY
DPR (Donetsk People’s Republic) was a Russian-backed separatist movement active in Eastern Ukraine. It originated in a series of pro-Russian and "anti-Maidan" rallies organized throughout Donetsk and neighboring provinces in March-April 2014. These rallies condemned the removal of the Eastern-Ukraine, pro-Russian backed Yanukovich cabinet as a coup, labeling the new authorities as fascist. In April 2014 they developed into several armed separatist movements, of which the Lugansk People’s Republic (LPR) and DPR were the only ones to prove significant, occupying large portions Luhansk and Donetsk Oblasts respectively.
On 16 September 2014, a union between the armed forces of LPR and DPR was announced as part of the larger Novorossiya project. The new group - the United Armed Forces of Novorossiya - had a new incompatibility for a larger territory than Donetsk and Lugansk Oblast combined, referred to as Novorossiya. The Novorossiya project was "put on hold" in May 2015, and on 9 June the DPR and LPR became de facto independent actors again, but with the new incompatibility for the Novorossiya area. As such, they exist in the data as new entities separate from the groups with the same names which were active in 2014, in the territorial conflicts of Donetsk and Lugansk respectively, prior to their merger (see the old DPR and old LPR).
DPR held de facto control over large portions of the Donetsk Oblast and functioned as an unrecognized proto-state in areas which included approximately half the 4.4 million inhabitants of the Donetsk Oblast. As such, the leadership of DPR followed the structure of a state; the Speaker of the People’s Council (parliament), Denis Pushilin, was the head of the republic, and the Prime Minister, Vladimir Pashkov, was the head of government. Pushilin took control in what was described as a coup in 2018, with many observers describing the ouster as Russia strengthening its control by placing a more compliant leader in control. The appointment of Vladimir Pashkov, a Russian citizen, as Prime Minister faced backlash from Ukraine, which saw it as another step in Russia assuming direct control of the area. DPR has since the dissolution of the United Armed Forces of Novorossiya remained allied with LPR, though it has been far more active in fighting the Ukrainian government than its smaller ally. Both groups have officially been under a ceasefire agreement with the Government of Ukraine since the May 2015 Minsk II agreement, though fighting has continued throughout the existence of DPR and LPR (for more on the conflict, see Ukraine: Novorossiya).
DPR has received substantial help from Russia. Accusations of Russia supplying rebels with firepower, machinery and even troops came from multiple sources, including NATO (who released images proving this fact), Ukraine (who captured a detachment of Russian paratroopers), Russian NGOs and even parts of the Russian government (the Russian Presidential Committee for Human Rights). Most of the government of Russia, however, while admitting to providing "humanitarian aid", including monetary support for DPR, and supporting its cause politically, refused to acknowledge any troops were sent under official qualities to Ukraine. Russia, however, admitted that volunteer detachments, including numerous members of the armed forces officially "on leave" were fighting in Ukraine; those Russian servicemen killed in Ukraine were given state funerals on return. Russia is therefore coded as a secondary warring party for DPR in the Ukraine: Novorossiya conflict against the government of Ukrainian. After the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine on 24 February 2022, the Russian military had full command of the DPR's forces, and the Novorossiya conflict was thus superseded by the Russian - Ukraine conflict. Donetsk was formally annexed by Russia on 30 September 2022.
