THE leaders of the Donetsk (DPR) and Lugansk People’s Republics (LPR) called on Russian President Vladimir Putin to recognise the regions as independent states today.

LPR head Leonid Pasechnik said that the move would prevent the massacre of some 300,000 ethnic Russians that live in the Donbass region at the hands of the Ukrainian far right.

“I ask you to recognise the sovereignty and independence of the LPR. I also ask you to consider the possibility of concluding a friendship and co-operation agreement between the LPR and the Russian Federation, including co-operation in defence,” he said.

DPR leader Denis Pushilin said that the situation in the region had become increasingly desperate. He called a state of emergency today after Ukrainian missiles disrupted the Donetsk water supply.

The breakaway regions have never been recognised internationally, though Russian support has helped them resist military reconquest by Ukraine. Kiev promised them autonomy under the Minsk agreement with Russia, France and Germany aimed at ending the war in the Donbass, but has made no moves to implement this.

Last week, Russia’s State Duma agreed to call on Mr Putin to recognise the DPR and LPR following a motion presented by the Communist Party of the Russian Federation.

Shelling has intensified in the Donbass region, with two schools struck by missiles. The evacuation of women, children and the elderly has already begun amid fears of a Ukrainian invasion. Ukraine has blamed the separatists for an attack on a kindergarten behind its lines, but refused to allow OECD inspectors access to the site to verify its claims.

Russian forces killed five Ukrainian saboteurs who were on a spy and reconnaissance mission in Rostov today, the defence ministry said

Two combat vehicles sent to rescue the unit were also seized, the ministry added. Kiev’s Ministry of Internal Affairs branded the claims “fake news.”

President Vladimir Putin called on Ukraine to open talks with the separatists. “All Kiev needs to do is sit down at the negotiating table with representatives of the Donbass and agree on political, military, economic and humanitarian measures to end this conflict. The sooner this happens, the better,” he said.

During discussions with French President Emmanuel Macron on Sunday, he blamed Nato for flooding Ukraine with weapons and escalating the situation.

Hopes have been raised of a face-to-face meeting with US President Joe Biden, who seemed receptive to the suggestion.

But Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov warned today that Nato allies seem to be pushing for “an almost irresolvable confrontation between Russia and the Western alliance.”

Mr Putin dismissed the latest US intelligence claims that he had drawn up a kill list of political figures, anti-corruption activists and Belarusian and Russian dissidents living in Ukraine.