The ‘Russian Donbas’ doctrine forms a coherent ideological and political construct aimed at legitimising the Russian Federation’s claims to Ukrainian territories through the redefinition of basic categories — identity, history and the right to self-determination. A key element is the substitution of territorial sovereignty with a linguistic and mental criterion: ‘Russianness’ is defined not by citizenship or borders, but by belonging to a particular system of values and language. This allows Russia to expand the boundaries of its ‘sphere of influence’ not legally, but conceptually — by incorporating the population into the ‘Russian World’, and only then the territories.
It is important that the doctrine establishes not a static but a dynamic model of expansion: from a minimal foothold (the ORDLO) to a potential expansion across the whole of Ukraine. At the same time, the very process of ‘discussing’ borders serves as an instrument of legitimisation — even without formal recognition. Thus, the Russian Federation’s negotiating logic is based on the principle of gradually expanding the scope of the negotiations, where the initial demands are merely a starting point.
A separate level is the cognitive one. Through language, history and identity, the Russian Federation seeks to alter the very foundation of how reality is perceived, shaping an alternative worldview in which Ukrainian statehood appears as an ‘anomaly’, and Russian influence as the ‘historical norm’. Ultimately, the doctrine serves not only as a tool to justify aggression that has already taken place, but also as a long-term framework for its continuation — through a combination of information influence, political pressure and potential military escalation.
RESEARCH.
The entire ‘Russian Donbas’ Doctrine is Russia’s ‘justification’ to the international community that ‘Donbas’ (the ORDLO) is a ‘legitimate zone of Russian influence’.
On the basis of this Doctrine, the Russian Federation will demand recognition of this fact.
Next comes the bargaining over the boundaries of this ‘sphere of influence’:
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First, the Russian Federation puts the boundaries of its minimum ‘sphere of influence’ up for negotiation – the boundaries of the Donetsk and Luhansk regions respectively.
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Next, Russia will make a bid to expand its ‘sphere of influence’ in the future to cover the whole of Ukraine and to have Crimea recognised as Russian territory.
At this stage, Russia adheres to the principle: ‘ask for more than you already have’. The main thing is to draw the opponent into discussing such an issue. The very fact of discussing borders as such, even if the answer is negative, will already constitute recognition by the international community of the Russian Federation’s ‘sphere of influence’ within the borders in which it currently exists in the ORDLO.
Throughout the ‘Russian Donbas’ Doctrine, the international community is presented with an interpretation of the key concepts Russia employs to justify its right to ‘spheres of influence’ in Ukraine (key narratives):
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A logical chain is established: the Soviet Union – the historical Motherland – a single system of values. Anyone outside these values (the values of the Soviet Union) is an anti-Russian political project. Accordingly, the Soviet Union is a Russian political project.
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The term ‘Russian’ refers to someone who holds a particular (unique) worldview based on the Soviet Union’s unified system of values.
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The Russian World is a unique phenomenon of world civilisation. The phenomenon lies in the worldview. The Russian World = Russian civilisation.
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The concept of ‘historical injustice’: Russian civilisation = the Russian sphere = the traditional values of the Soviet Union. The concept of ‘historical Russia’ (Russian national territory – the territory of the former Soviet Union and the Russian Empire) – as the basis for Russia’s rights to this territory as a ‘sphere of influence’.
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‘Historical justice’ – the creation of Russian nation states. The concept of ‘Russian’ refers to someone who possesses a distinct (unique) worldview with the unified value system of the Soviet Union.
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The ‘Russian Donbas’ doctrine is a system of views for socio-political forecasting – defining Russia’s minimum ‘sphere of influence’.
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The Donbas is defined as a historically formed region with its own distinctive features. The main objective, however, is to extend beyond the boundaries of this minimal ‘sphere of influence’, which Russia seeks to expand to the borders of the regions.
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The Russian language is the foundation of the mindset. The task of the ‘sphere of influence’ (of the Russian nation-state) is to support and develop the Russian language and culture in every way, as well as the Russian historical heritage – the preservation of Russian national statehood on historically Russian territory.
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Donbas is a multi-ethnic region. Mentality is built on a linguistic foundation. Language is a means of self-identification. Therefore, residents who speak Russian identify themselves as ‘Russians’, regardless of their nationality. (The concept of a ‘Russian’ is a person who possesses a distinct (unique) worldview with the unified value system of the Soviet Union).
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The Russian national language of Donbas is the language of the Russian political nation. Mentality is the foundation of a worldview. The Russian language is the foundation of the Russian mentality. To do away with the Russian language means to eradicate the Russian mentality.
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The Russian people are the Russian nation, comprising various sub-ethnic groups. The Russian nation is a supra-ethnic entity: a broad community of Russian speakers with a specific mentality – the Russian World. The people of Donbas form part of the core of the Russian nation and are part of the Russian World.
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Donbas is a refuge for supporters of the Russian World (a broad community of Russian speakers with a specific mindset).
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Consequently, the ‘people of Donbas’ constitute a Russian political nation with a distinct Russian mentality. Hence the ‘people of Donbas’ have a right to self-determination based on their mentality (i.e. on linguistic grounds).
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The national will of the people of Donbas – which is the will of the Russian people as a whole – is a force for historical change.
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The importance of Donbas lies in its border geopolitical location; this is its primary value.
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Second value: Donbas is one of Europe’s largest remaining industrial regions, with a diverse industrial structure and a developed agricultural sector. Consequently, an important component of the ‘sphere of influence’ is the economy within a single economic space with Russia.
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The Russian Federation is deeply concerned about the instruments of cognitive warfare, which Russia itself formulates and employs, should they be used against it:
– manipulation of public consciousness,
– deliberate distortion of historical facts,
– the imposition of nonsensical ideologies, utopian and inhumane programmes.
Russia will use the narratives outlined above in the information space, both independently and through its satellites and agents of influence, in an attempt to justify its illegal actions regarding the occupation and annexation of Ukrainian territories.