KIEV, Feb. 20 – Having issued a decree on recognition of passports and other documents of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People's Republic and Luhansk People's Republic (LPR/DPR), the Russian president has legally recognized the quasi-public groups and left the Minsk process, Ukrainian National Security and Defense Council (NSDC) Secretary Oleksandr Turchynov said.

"This step by Kremlin completely destroys the Minsk process and is equal to Russia's statement about an exit from that," the NSDC press service quoted Turchynov as saying late on Saturday.