QUASI-STATEHOOD ARCHITECTURE IN EASTERN UKRAINE: THE CASE OF ‘DONETSK PEOPLE’S REPUBLIC’
QUASI-STATEHOOD ARCHITECTURE IN EASTERN UKRAINE: THE CASE OF ‘DONETSK PEOPLE’S REPUBLIC’

Summary/Abstract: This paper analyzes the state-building process in the self-proclaimed Donetsk People’s Republic from the governance perspective in the period 2014-2022. We start by looking at the nation- and state-building processes aimed at providing internal and external legitimacy to the newly-emerged polity. Furthermore, we analyze certain governance issues (constitutional arrangements, state architecture and consolidation, governance fields, governance under crisis etc.), which provide an account of the degree in which DPR can fulfill its functions as a state. We argue that the establishment of the polity and its heavy reliance on the sponsor state is consistent with the pattern of quasi-statehood that emerged in the post-Soviet space. Finally, we consider the future developments of DPR statehood in the aftermath of the current military conflict between Ukraine and Russia, with its broader geopolitical implications.

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