MOSCOW. Feb 21 (Interfax) - Russia will run into problems if it recognizes the Donetsk and Luhansk people's republics (DPR and LPR), but it will manage, given its 14-year experience since recognizing South Ossetia and Abkhazia, Russian Security Council's deputy chairman Dmitry Medvedev said.
"We know what will happen. We know all the problems, all the difficulties, all the proposals of sanctions being aired from every corner in our direction. We understand that the pressure will be enormous. But we also understand how to oppose that pressure," Medvedev told the Council's emergency meeting on Monday.
He drew parallels with the 2008 events in the Caucasus which led Russia to recognize the independence of Abkhazia and South Ossetia.
"In this sense, this bitter experience over the 14 years has been good for us," he said.