DPR people had to take up arms to defend their Russian identity, history and faith, and neither war nor the economic blockade can prevail over its gravitation towards Russia, the DPR People's Council chairman Vladimir Bidyevka said at the "Great Russian Word" Festival in Crimea.
"The Festival is of an utmost importance not only for brotherly Crimea but also for the huge Russian World that is not bounded by the borders of Russia," he said.
Bidyevka reminded that tens of millions of people all over the world speak Russian and preserve the outstanding Russian ancestry, enjoy the benefits and gains of the Russian civilization and expand on them.
"Our mind set can never be altered, either by artillery or airstrikes or by blockades."
He said that protecting language, cultural and historical identities are cornerstones of a stable peace, substantial development and new achievements in the geopolitical landscape of today.
The prospects and challenges of the Russian world became the subject of discussion at the "Russian Word in Modern World" international forum in Donetsk on the weekend. The DPR Head, philologists, teachers of Russian and students from the DPR, LPR and Russia took part in the discussions. *ot