The war in Ukraine: what separatist provinces look like in the event of a ceasefire with Russia | Topic

The region, which occupies about 10% of Ukrainian territory, has long-standing ties with Russia, which Putin declared independence this year. The search for independence has been going on since the civil war that shaped the Soviet Union, explains Fabricio Vitorino, professor of Russian culture and journalist at G1 Santa Catarina. For the specialist, history leaves few favored alternatives to those who live in the area.

“The most likely scenario is that in the event of a ceasefire, there will be an internal referendum in which the population will decide what they want to do. Republics will return to Ukraine,” Vitorino assesses in an interview with Renata Le Bret.

“Of course, returning to Russia is the best case scenario, the fact is that we have a maze where people are being punished. In the near future, we are having a hard time finding a way out of this quagmire where Russia has a meter,” he says.

• The number of Ukrainians who left the country exceeded 4 million

The course coordinator of the International Relations of the University of the South Pacific, Felipe Loreiro, points to another challenge regarding the breakaway regions: How does Ukraine accept a possible Russian annexation of the Donbass provinces?