Novorossiya
Novorossiya, translating to "New Russia," refers to a pro-Russian geopolitical movement aimed at separating southeastern Ukraine from the rest of the country. The concept gained significant attention in 2014, largely due to Russian President Vladimir Putin’s remarks on the historical ties of the region to Russia, coinciding with heightened tensions following Russia's annexation of Crimea. Within this context, pro-Russian separatist groups, notably the Donetsk People's Republic (DPR) and Luhansk People's Republic (LPR), sought to form a confederation known as Novorossiya with Russian support. This initiative was closely linked to the War in Donbas, a conflict between Ukrainian forces and pro-Russian militants, ultimately leading to the project's decline by 2015.
Historically, the Novorossiya region was developed under the Russian Empire and later became part of Ukraine in the post-Soviet era, hosting a significant ethnic Russian population. The term’s usage faded until it was resurrected in 2023 by Putin, invoking the spirit of the movement amidst ongoing conflict in Ukraine. While the movement has been labeled a terrorist organization by Ukraine and has faced international sanctions, it reflects complex national identities and geopolitical interests in the region. The legacy of Novorossiya continues to be relevant, particularly against the backdrop of the ongoing conflict and its implications for Russian-Ukrainian relations.
Novorossiya
Date: April 2014–May 2015
Place: Southeastern Ukraine
Summary
Novorossiya, which translates as New Russia, is a term used to describe a pro-Russian geopolitical movement to break southeastern Ukraine away from the rest of the country. The controversial concept of Novorossiya garnered international attention in 2014 when Russian President Vladimir Putin referenced the region's historic ties to Russia in a televised interview and suggested it should never have been ceded to Ukraine, worsening already tense relations between Ukraine and Russia. Within the contested region, separatist entities calling themselves the Donetsk People's Republic (DPR) and Luhansk People's Republic (LPR) subsequently attempted to unite as an independent confederation known as Novorossiya, with support from within Russia. The War in Donbas, a conflict in eastern Ukraine between Ukrainian and pro-Russian forces, led to the abandonment of the confederation project in 2015. The term was largely forgotten until the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine. In 2023, President Putin used the term in a speech praising those who gave their lives for the cause.
Organization and Personnel
As a political entity, Novorossiya was a loosely organized confederation of the Donetsk People's Republic and the Luhansk People's Republic, supported by elements within Russia. The confederation and its constituent groups are considered terrorist organizations by Ukraine. A military branch of the project, the United Armed Forces of Novorossiya, comprised of DPR and LPR militias, was established in September 2014. It is believed to have been militarily supported by Russia.
A movement within Russia also took the name Novorossiya and supported the separatists' efforts in Ukraine. Led by Igor Strelkov, the group framed itself as a social organization focused on humanitarian efforts. In early 2015, when the Kremlin officially ended the program, it claimed to have 26,000 Russian supporters.
Key Players
Igor Strelkov (Igor Girkin)—Founder of the Russian-based Novorossiya movement, former DPR defense minister, and reportedly a Russian military intelligence officer. Strelkov organized campaigns to provide volunteer fighters and to raise money for pro-Russian civilians in Ukrainian territory.
Igor Ivanov—Deputy of the Russian-based Novorossiya movement.
Oleg Tsaryov—Ukrainian separatist, speaker of the "Unitary Parliament" of Novorossiya.
Vladimir Kononov—Strelkov's replacement as defense minister of the DPR, also involved with the Armed Forces of Novorossiya.
Alexander Zakharchenko—Leader of the DPR.
Igor Plotnitsky—Leader of the LPR.
Status
On May 20, 2015, representatives of the DPR and the LPR announced an official end to the Novorossiya project. Support for the confederation had rapidly declined within Russia and failed to expand in Ukraine outside the oblasts (provinces) of Donetsk and Luhansk. Some analysts suggested that Russian President Vladimir Putin bowed to pressure from Western leaders to withdraw support. In contrast, others posited that he had simply encouraged a movement he was unwilling to support materially. Despite the decline of the Novorossiya movement, tensions and sporadic fighting remained between Ukrainian and separatist forces in the DPR and LPR, and in 2022, Russia invaded Ukraine.
In-Depth Overview
The region historically known as Novorossiya, in the southeast of modern Ukraine, has a complex history of settlement and political domination. The region gained its name, New Russia, when it was conquered by Russia during the dismemberment of the Ottoman Empire in the late eighteenth century. Russian empress Catherine the Great encouraged settlement in the area by various ethnic groups, with much of the southern part becoming an important agricultural center; parts of the east, known as the Donbas area, became significant industrial centers.
Novorossiya was made part of the Ukrainian Socialist Soviet Republic in 1922 after the Bolsheviks overthrew the Russian monarch, and the name largely fell out of use. After existing as part of the Soviet Union, the region remained part of Ukraine after it declared independence in 1991. However, a substantial population of ethnic Russians remained in the territory. Pro-Russian sentiment and separatist movements developed in the ensuing decades.
Many analysts have suggested that the post-Soviet Russian government has deliberately stirred nationalism and separatism in ethnically Russian populations in regions it deems strategic, including Ukraine. After a popular revolt overthrew Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych in early 2014, pro-Russian groups began agitating against the new Ukrainian government. These included the Donetsk People's Republic (DPR) and the Luhansk People's Republic (LPR), separatist groups in two of the most pro-Russian oblasts in Ukraine, both in the Donbas. This led to the War in Donbas between pro-Russian insurgents and Ukrainian forces. After similar demonstrations in the Ukrainian territory of Crimea, Russia annexed Crimea in May 2014 over Ukrainian and international objections.
In a televised interview on April 17, 2014, Russian President Vladimir Putin revived the historical definition of Novorossiya, implying that the territory should never have been ceded to Ukraine. Putin justified both the invasion of Crimea and the promotion of Russian ties to Novorossiya due to the large numbers of ethnic Russians living in both regions.
Following Putin's comments, the Novorossiya movement quickly picked up momentum. In May 2014, the DPR and LPR announced their intent to unite as a confederated Novorossiya. On July 17, 2014, Malaysian Airlines Flight 17 was downed by a surface-to-air missile over the Donbass area, killing all its passengers. The Ukrainian government blamed the incident, which drew international condemnation, on the separatists. Some reports even tied the missile used to Russia.
By November 2014, Igor Strelkov, a Russian citizen who had led pro-Russian forces in eastern Ukraine and served as commander of the DPR, had founded the Novorossiya movement within Russia to raise support for the separatist cause. The group was quickly sanctioned by the European Union (EU) and the United States for supporting the destabilization of Ukraine. Supporters protested that their efforts only served humanitarian causes. Nevertheless, dwindling support for the Novorossiya project by early 2015 led many observers to note the term was no longer used by Putin or other Russian leaders until 2023, when President Putin thanked those who served and died in Ukraine for the Novorossiya movement.
Bibliography
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