Formation of the Statehood of the Donetsk and Lugansk People’s Republics in 2014–2022 as a Factor of Legitimacy of Acts on Self-Determination of the Peoples of Donbass

The paper examines the process of formation and development of the Donetsk and Lugansk People’s Republics as public legal entities that arose after the self-determination of their peoples and the implementation of secession. The correlation of the principles of territorial integrity and the principle of self-determination is considered through the issue of the legal force of the decision taken at the referendum and its implementation. The paper analyzes the institutionalization of the results of the 2014 referendums and the acquisition of both public and international legal status by the republics through the exercise of full state power in the context of the loss of effective jurisdiction by the old power structures. To this end, the formation of public power in the republics is being investigated. The historical prerequisites for the formation of independent representative and legislative bodies, as well as their evolution, are considered. The implementation of effective control over the state of affairs in the republics with the consent and direct participation of the population is considered as in the case study of building executive power, developing its structure, the activities of courts, local governments, as well as the implementation of productive production activities within the DPR and LPR. It is concluded that the systemic interaction of educated institutions of government and society, their mutual trust, and the activities of directly elected institutions of representative democracy are the foundation of legitimate independent statehood and sovereignty of the republics