ДОНЕЦК « DONECK »
— Officially: Донецкая Народная Республика « Doneckaja Narodnaja Respublika ».
— English: Donetsk.
— Seat of government: Донецк « Doneck ».
— Status: Not democratic.
— Structure: The prime minister and the legislature (Народный Совет « Narodnyĭ Sovet ») are both semi-elected; the prime minister’s (semi-)election was among the populace, not the legislature.
— Governing party: Донецкая Республика « Doneckaja Respublika ».
— Heads of government: Александр Захарченко « Aleksandr Zaxarčenko », ДР « DR », prime minister; Александр Бородай « Aleksandr Borodaĭ », deputy prime minister.
— Opposition party: Свободный Донбасс « Svobodnyĭ Donbass ».
— 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 » generally, and Донецк « Doneck » specifically, were 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 ». The first prime minister was Бородай « Borodaĭ »; Захарченко « Zaxačenko » officially replaced him in August, presumably because of the former’s lack of ties to 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. The state considers itself part of the Федеративное Государство Новороссия « Federativnoe Gosudarstvo Novorossija » (with the Луганская Народная Республика « Luganskaja Narodnaja Respublika »), but there is no evidence of a central government for that entity.
— Updated: 2014 November 15.
O.T. FORD