All is quiet on the Russian front: ceasefires and the pursuit of legitimacy by self-proclaimed “republics” in Ukraine

ABSTRACT

This paper examines the pursuit of legitimacy by the self-proclaimed “republics” in Ukraine. While these “republics” are illegal, questions of their legitimacy are commonly discussed almost entirely through Weberian rule-conformity. We argue that this one-dimensional view of legitimacy overlooks the rich context of normative aspects of power relationships. If the occupied Donbas is to be reintegrated into Ukraine, it is essential to understand the perceived legitimation of the political institutions in this region. We use David Beetham’s framework of legitimacy—consisting of legality, morality, and consent—to analyze the “republics’” pursuit of legitimacy. Our analysis leads to the proposition that while the “republics” are illegal, their supporters’ normative perceptions of the right to govern have ascribed more validity to the fake “governments” than what would have been expected from a legal point of view. Additionally, while a ceasefire between the Russian proxies and Ukraine’s forces has reduced violence, it has also levied temporal effect on the legitimation of illegitimate institutions. Our treatment of the process of legitimation over time helps us identify potential strategies of delegitimization should DPR and LPR reincorporate with Ukraine-controlled territory. Without dismantling internal perceptions of institutional legitimacy among inhabitants of nongovernment-controlled areas, a re-integration could not be accomplished.

KEYWORDS:

• Ukraine
• Russia
• legitimacy
• de facto states
• secessionism
• separatism
• conflict management
• reconciliation

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Notes

1. Donbas refers to the Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts (regions) of Ukraine, which make up a historic metal and coal mining region. It encompasses the northern part and center of Donetsk oblast, the southern part of the Luhansk oblast, and a very small portion in the eastern part of the Dnipropetrovsk oblast, effectively buffering the far eastern border between Ukraine and Russia.

2. The first regional referendum in the Donbas took place in March 1994 in conjunction with parliamentary elections. The majority in the Donetsk and Luhansk regions voted in favor of federalization and granting the Russian language the official status. However, the results of the referendum failed to generate any significant political changes and remained just that – the results of the referendum. It is widely believed that the pro-Russian sentiment in the Donbas at the time was successfully absorbed by Leonid Kuchma’s election as a second president of independent Ukraine in 1994.

3. See, for example, Jürgen Habermas, Legitimation Crisis, translated by Thomas McCarthy, (Beacon Press, 1975); David Beetham, The Legitimation of Power, 2nd ed, (New York: Palgrave Macmillan, 2013); Jean-Marc Coicaud, Legitimacy and Politics: A Contribution to the Study of Political Right and Political Responsibility (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2002).