MOSCOW: Russian President Vladimir Putin ratcheted up tensions over Ukraine by announcing he's recognizing a pair of self-proclaimed separatist republics in eastern Ukraine. He also said that he'll send "peacekeeping forces" to the Donetsk and Luhansk People's Republics, fueling US and European concern that Moscow is moving to take control of land internationally recognized as part of Ukraine.
Russia has repeatedly denied it is planning any attack, and Putin has said his country was not considering annexing the area. Here's a closer look at the territories and why they are now at the center of attention:
