KYIV, April 24 – The decision of Russian President Vladimir Putin regarding the procedure for granting citizens of certain regions of Russia-occupied Donetsk and Luhansk regions Russian citizenship is a gross violation of the Minsk agreements and Ukraine's international partners must respond to it, Parliament First Deputy Speaker Iryna Gerashchenko said.

"Putin's decision to issue Russian passports to citizens living in the occupied territories is a flagrant violation of the Minsk agreements, according to which ORDLO is Ukraine. This is an attempt to creep legitimize pseudo-republics from the Kremlin, a continuation of the Russian scenario of creating a frozen conflict in Donbas," she said on Facebook.