Ukraine Intelligence: Nicaragua Aids Russia in Legitimizing Donbas Control
Russia is actively trying to legitimize its occupation of Ukrainian territories on the international stage, even involving distant states such as Nicaragua.
The Gaze reports on it, referring to the Foreign Intelligence Service of Ukraine.
Russia continues to try to give international legitimacy to the temporarily occupied Ukrainian territories. This time, the Kremlin is involving Nicaragua in this process, where the so-called “DPR government” is preparing to sign a trade and economic cooperation agreement with the country’s Foreign Ministry.
Formally, the document aims to develop cooperation between economic entities, but in fact it consolidates Russia's presence in Donbas through international channels. The signing of the agreement is scheduled for the end of September 2025 during a visit by a Nicaraguan delegation to Moscow.
According to Ukrainian intelligence, this agreement is part of a broader Kremlin campaign called the “parade of diplomacy of the occupied regions.”
Its main goals are to create the illusion of international support for the occupation, to provide ways to circumvent sanctions and exchange security services, and to strengthen Russia's influence in Central America.
Nicaragua has already taken the first step in this direction, announcing at the end of July 2025 its recognition of the “entry” of the Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia, and Kherson regions into Russia, which is a direct violation of international law and UN resolutions.
“Crimea, Sevastopol, as well as the temporarily occupied territories of Donbas, Kherson, and Zaporizhzhia, are and remain part of the Ukrainian state. Any ‘agreements’ with pseudo-institutions in these territories are legally invalid,” the Intelligence report states.
Ukrainian Intelligence also warns that Nicaragua's participation in such processes could have serious consequences for the country and its officials, including the risk of international sanctions for legalizing the occupation.
As The Gaze informed earlier, Russia is massively evicting former residents from apartments in occupied territories, transferring housing to ethnic Russians, while construction companies linked to the Kremlin are profiting from the reconstruction of houses demolished as a result of the invasion.