Passports and banknotes are Russia’s latest weapons of choice in Ukraine. Not only has Vladimir Putin announced that Moscow will recognize passports issued by separatist authorities in Donetsk and Luhansk; but now the self-styled “Luhansk People’s Republic” has made the Russian ruble its official currency.
Russia's War Against Ukraine
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Brian Whitmore: Passports, banknotes, and blackmail
Separatist leader Alexander Zakharchenko (L) hands out new passports in Donetsk on March 16, 2016. Russian-backed separatists on March 16, 2016, began issuing their own passports.
