Russian lawmakers will on Tuesday adopt resolutions calling on President Vladimir Putin to formally recognise the separatist-held regions of eastern Ukraine as independent states, The Moscow Times reported.
Russia's Communist Party had submitted the draft resolution last month calling on Putin to formally recognise the self-proclaimed Luhansk and Donetsk republics. Experts have described Russian recognition of the Donbas as a possible prelude to an annexation of the region, the report said.
One addresses Putin directly and the other -- reportedly submitted by the pro-Kremlin United Russia party -- seeks consultations with Russia's Defence and Foreign Ministries before his approval.
Both documents will be considered at Tuesday's lower-house State Duma session.
The Russian lawmakers' considerations come as Ukraine and its Western allies accuse Russia of preparing a potential invasion of its ex-Soviet neighbour, with more than 100,000 troops on the Ukrainian border, the report said.
Observers say Russia -- which has issued over half a million fast-tracked Russian passports to Donbas residents as of mid-2021 -- could justify an incursion into eastern Ukraine by saying it seeks to defend the newly minted local population of Russian citizens, The Moscow Times reported.
Last month, United Russia urged Putin to deliver military supplies to the Donetsk and Luhansk republics for the first time to defend against alleged aggression from Kyiv.
The Kremlin rejects claims that it is planning to invade Ukraine, instead blaming the West for increasing tensions with military deployments and support for Ukraine and demanding sweeping security guarantees from the US and NATO, the report said.