Luhansk People's Republic

Luhansk People’s Republic was a partially recognised state in the Donbas region of Ukraine. When the War in Donbas started in 2014, a few hundred separatists proclaimed it in part of the Luhansk Oblast. Luhansk Oblast is to the east of Ukraine, at the Ukrainian border with Russia. Approximately at the same time, other rebels formed the Donetsk People's Republic in Donetsk Oblast. In both parts, there are many ethnic Russians. There was a claim that Russia helped start these unrecognized states. The country is loyal to Russia.

Luhansk People's Republic Луганская Народная Республика (Russian) Luganskaya Narodnaya Respublika
2014–2022
Flag Coat of arms [en]
Motto: Луганск, сила и свобода Lugansk, sila i svoboda "Luhansk, strength and freedom"
Anthem: Государственный Гимн Луганской Народной Республики Gosudarstvennyy Gimn Luganskoy Narodnoy Respubliki "State Anthem of the Luhansk People's Republic"
Territory (in green) claimed and controlled by LPR as of July 2022
Status	Limited recognition Recognised by the United Nations as part of Ukraine
Capital and largest city	Luhansk
Official languages	Russian[1]
Government	Unitary presidential republic Puppet state of the Russian Federation
• Head	Leonid Pasechnik
Legislature	People's Council
De facto independence from Ukraine
• Established	27 April 2014
• Independence referendum	11 May 2014
• Recognised by Russia	21 February 2022
• Full control of claimed territory	3 July 2022[improper synthesis?]
• Russian annexation	30 September 2022
Area
• Total	8,377 km2 (3,234 sq mi)
Population
• 2017 estimate	1,400,000
Currency	Russian ruble (most common); Ukrainian hryvnia (less common); euro, U.S. dollar (legal but rarely used) as of 2015[2]
Time zone	UTC+3[3]
Calling code	+7 959[4][5][6]
Preceded by Succeeded by Novorossiya Russia

In 2022 Russia, Syria and DPRK officially recognised the state along with the Donetsk People's Republic, Abkhazia and South Ossetia.

In late 2022, the Luhansk People's Republic became a federal subject of Russia alongside three other occupied oblasts. Most of the international community agrees that Luhansk legally belongs to Ukraine.