ЛУГАНСК « LUGANSK »
— Officially: Луганская Народная Республика « Luganskaja Narodnaja Respublika ».
— Seat of government: Луганск « Lugansk ».
— Status: Not democratic.
— Structure: The president and legislature are both semi-elected.
— Governing party: Мир Луганщине « Mir Luganŝine ».
— Head of government: Леонид Пасечник « Leonid Pasečnik », acting president.
— Chief opposition party: Луганский Экономический Союз « Luganskiĭ Čkonomičeskiĭ Sojuz ».
— Assessment: Independence has not been broadly recognized, but is a fact. In 2014, the Євромайдан « Évromaĭdan » protests and street violence in Україна « Ukrajína » forced out president Виктор Янукович « Viktor Janukovič », bringing to power a pro-Western government. The Донбасс « Donbass » was the power base for Янукович « Janukovič » and his Партия Регионов « Partija Regionov », which was generally pro-Россия « Rossija » and worked for the interests of Русский « Russkiĭ »-speakers. In response, Русский « Russkiĭ »-speakers in many parts of Україна « Ukrajína » rebelled, seizing numerous population centers, particularly in the Донбасс « Donbass ». An operation by Україна « Ukrajína » after the inauguration of Петро Порошенко « Petro Porošenko » drove the rebels back; a counteroffensive backed by Россия « Rossija » returned control of most of the population of the Донбасс « Donbass » to the rebels. Elections were held late in the year, but under constrained conditions; Игорь Плотницкий « Igorĵ Plotnickiĭ » (2014-7) was the incumbent president at the time of the vote, though the position was originally held by Валерий Болотов « Valeriĭ Bolotov ». The state considered itself for a time part of the Федеративное Государство Новороссия « Federativnoe Gosudarstvo Novorossija » (with the Донецкая Народная Республика « Doneckaja Narodnaja Respublika »), but there was never any evidence of a central government for that entity. Плотницкий « Plotnickiĭ » was forced out in a power struggle in 2017.
— Updated: 2018 January 7.
O.T. FORD