Ukrainian parliament on Friday extended by another year the self-rule of its two Russian-backed separatist regions of Lugansk and Donetsk under a set of strict conditions.
The vote has been welcomed by Ukraine’s Western partners but bitterly opposed by hard-core nationalists who set off flares outside the chamber during the first debate held on Thursday.
Deputies voted Friday by a 229 to 57 margin to extend “local self-government in individual districts of the Donetsk and Lugansk regions” — once all Russian troops and arms are withdrawn from Ukraine’s war-scarred east.
The measure is required because the initial three-year period of partial autonomy set in a moribund 2014 peace deal expires on October 18.
The US embassy in Kiev tweeted ahead of the vote that it supported “efforts to extend special status to enable peaceful resolution in eastern Ukraine”.
Partial autonomy would allow the Russian-backed regions to set up their own police forces and even court systems.
Source: AFP
