The Kremlin has plans for occupied territories of Donbas, and has appointed a new "curator" - the media

ROMAN PETRENKO — WEDNESDAY, 27 APRIL 2022, 13:36

First Deputy Chief of Staff of the Presidential Administration of Russia Sergey Kiriyenko, who is responsible for the work of the Kremlin's domestic political bloc, has become a "curator" of relations with the "LPR-DPR" [self-proclaimed Luhansk People’s Republic and Donetsk People’s Republic] instead of Dmitry Kozak, RBC reports.

Source: RBC, citing five sources close to the Kremlin

Details: Now the Department of Internal Policy of the Russian Federation is responsible for working with the militants, not the Department of Border Cooperation, which is subordinated to Kozak. 

A new department is currently being set up in Russia to be responsible for cooperating with the occupied territories of Ukraine.

One of the sources says that the change of curator testifies at least about a special order of interaction with the [self-proclaimed] "republics" and the creation of a single domestic political space, at most - about consideration of the scenario of possible entry of "republics" into Russia.

Last week, it became known that Kiriyenko visited occupied Donetsk, where he met with leaders of the [self-proclaimed] "DPR" and "LPR". The trip had a "presentation, introductory" aim.