Pushilin sworn in as DPR head
DONETSK. Nov 20 (Interfax) - Denis Pushilin has been officially sworn in as the head of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People's Republic (DPR) and taken the oath of allegiance to its people.
"I hereby swear to abide by the Constitution and the laws of the DPR, respect and observe human and civil rights, serve honorably in the line of duty, and faithfully serve the people," Pushilin said.
The inauguration ceremony was held at Donetsk's Solovyanenko State Academic Opera and Ballet Theater.
Guests included South Ossetian President Anatoly Bibilov, leader of the self-proclaimed Luhansk People's Republic (LPR) Leonid Pasechnik, Abkhazia's Prime Minister Valery Bganba, head of Crimea Sergei Aksyonov, and Russian State Duma members Andrei Kozenko, Kazbek Taisayev, Mikhail Degtyaryov, Sergei Natarov, Ivan Sukharev, Alexander Sherin, and Pavel Shperov.
Donetsk's central streets were fully closed to traffic. Reinforced units of the Interior Ministry, the State Security Ministry, and the Emergency Situations Ministry are patrolling the streets and the area surrounding the theater.
Elections of the heads and parliaments of the DPR and LPR took place on November 11. Ukraine and Western countries did not recognize the elections as legitimate. Moscow argues that they did not violate the Minsk Agreements.