Moscow gives British Embassy new address on 'Luhansk People's Republic Square'

Workers install a direction sign "Luhansk People's Republic Square" in front of the British embassy in Moscow, Russia July 8, 2022. REUTERS/Evgenia Novozhenina

LONDON (Reuters) - Moscow's city replaced a street sign outside the British Embassy on Friday with one that read "Luhansk People's Republic Square", in honour of an east Ukrainian breakaway territory seized by Russian forces.

Russia recognised the self-proclaimed Donetsk and Luhansk people's republics as independent entities shortly before sending troops into Ukraine on Feb. 24, saying it was compelled to defend the Russian-speakers there against persecution.