The Luhansk People's Republic is a disputed republic of Russia with a capital in Luhansk, established on an illegally annexed part of Luhansk Oblast in eastern Ukraine. The LPR was created in 2014 when Russian-backed paramilitaries took control of settlements in the province. This started an eight-year war against Ukraine. The LPR declared itself to be an independent state, but was often described as a puppet state of Russia during the conflict. It was unilaterally annexed by Russia in 2022.