Donetsk, Apr 14 - DAN. Donetsk People’s Republic Head Denis Pushilin has thanked the Russian leadership for helping the Republic fight COVID-19.

“On behalf of all people of our Republic I express deep gratitude to brotherly Russia for its comprehensive assistance,” Pushilin said. “It supports us during the crisis and the pandemic. (Russia’s consumer right watchdog) Rospotrebnadzor has already sent us COVID-19 test kits twice and our countries’ medics cooperate.”

He also thanked the Russian parliamentarians who had called for abolishing the state duty for DPR and LPR residents seeking Russian citizenship.

“It is a timely and important initiative for the Donbass people, proposed by our Republic’s good friends. Today, Russia is the only country protecting our rights and freedoms,” Pushilin said.

Earlier reports said a group of Russian State Duma deputies and Federation Council members had proposed to amend the country's Tax Code in order to cancel the state duty for Russian citizenship applicants from the DPR and the LPR.

On Tuesday, deputy chairman of the committee on procedure at the Federation Council upper house of the Russian parliament Sergey Mamedov handed over to Donetsk a batch of individual protective gear for medics as part of Russian humanitarian aid.*jk