Separatists ask for Russia's help to 'beat back' Ukraine, providing possible pretext for Russian offensive

Ukrainian reservist
(Image credit: Chris McGrath/Getty Images)

The separatist republics Russia recognized and deployed troops to earlier this week have asked Russia to help them repel "the aggression of the Ukrainian armed forces," Russian state media reported.

Max Seddon, the Moscow bureau chief for the Financial Times, tweeted images of letters to Russian President Vladimir Putin from the presidents of the breakaway Donetsk and Luhansk People's Republics asking for Russian military aid. "This could be it," Seddon wrote, noting the letters were dated Feb. 22.

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE
https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516.jpg

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up
Grayson Quay

Grayson Quay was the weekend editor at TheWeek.com. His writing has also been published in National Review, the Pittsburgh Post-GazetteModern AgeThe American ConservativeThe Spectator World, and other outlets. Grayson earned his M.A. from Georgetown University in 2019.