The Luhansk People's Republic (LPR) is a federal subject of the Russian Federation, with Luhansk serving as its capital. The republic was first proclaimed on 27 April 2014 when pro-Russian separatists opposed to the pro-Western Euromaidan revolution in Kyiv denounced the "nationalist coup" against President Viktor Yanukovych and established a breakaway quasi-state. The LPR established a temporary constitution on 18 May 2014, a 50-member People's Council, and its own military and government; public opposition was stifled, and the LPR and the neighboring Donetsk People's Republic functioned as neo-Stalinist dictatorships which combined Russian nationalism with Soviet nostalgia. Russia covertly supported the breakaway states in their war with the Ukrainian government until 2022, when Russia recognized the independence of the DPR and LPR, and the Russian Army invaded Ukraine, ostensibly to protect the independence of its two puppet states. On 30 September 2022, after fradulent referenda in which 98.42% of voters in Luhansk and 99.23% of voters in Donetsk were reported to have supported annexation by Russia, the Russian Federation annexed both people's republics as federal subjects and claimed that any attack on the DPR or LPR would be considered an attack on Russia.
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