It's Ukrainian sovereign land, recognized by the global community.
...and now is a pile of junk. That's what "the global community" got for ignoring reality.
It was this global community that used the label "separatists", not "freedom fighters", and they knew what "separatists" typically want. Here is a clue, Mr. Community,...they wanted to
separate.Now the question is from what...So here is another clue...
From Ukraine. Like Kosovo from Serbia.
That was the time to find out if it is true and take a poll. Since Ukraine is a lovely and very democratic country, Kiev would not only not object to a poll but would actively support it to show the world how happy Ukrainian Russians are. Mr. Soros would gladly pay for it.
So, why didn't the global community conduct a poll before Feb 24, 2022? It would be a great propaganda tool in exposing the sham referendum later on.
Few things are more tedious than debating children.