Separatist says Russia recognised breakaway republic on territory of wider region

FILE PHOTO: Head of the separatist self-proclaimed Donetsk People's Republic Denis Pushilin attends a news conference in Donetsk, Ukraine February 11, 2022. REUTERS/Alexander Ermochenko

MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russian-backed separatist leader Denis Pushilin said on Tuesday that Moscow formally recognised the breakaway region of Donetsk within the wider boundaries of eastern Ukraine's Donetsk region, much of which is controlled by Ukrainian forces.

Speaking on Russian state television, Pushilin said the matter of the territory not controlled by separatists would be resolved later.