Lugansk People’s Republic Head Leonid Pasechnik has awarded the LRP Hero title to three militiamen from the town of Stakhanov. Pasechnik personally handed in the decorations.
Nikolay Kulchanovsky, Vladimir Polupoltinnykh and Maxim Ryzhov received the Republic’s top award for heroism and courage in liberating and defending settlements of the Lugansk and Donetsk People’s Republics from Ukrainian armed aggression, according to the LPR leader’s decree.
Pasechnik also decorated Stakhanov residents Andrey Zhilenkov and Anton Nalivaiko with the Orders of Cossack Valor, 1st class, and Vladimir Paraska with the Order of Cossack Valor, 2nd class.
The ceremony was attended by First Deputy Speaker of the Federation Council upper house of the Russian parliament, Secretary of the United Russia Party General Council Andrey Turchak and First Deputy Chairman of the lower house Committee for CIS Affairs, Eurasian Integration and Relations with Compatriots Viktor Vodolatsky.
On February 24, Russian President Vladimir Putin announced a special military operation in Donbass to protect residents of the region from Ukrainian aggression and called on Ukrainian troops to leave the combat zone. Earlier, the Heads of the Lugansk and Donetsk People’s Republics, Leonid Pasechnik and Denis Pushilin, requested the Russian president to provide military assistance. LPR militia had liberated 54 Kiev-held settlements of the Republic by March 6.
The Ukrainian government launched the so-called anti-terrorist operation against Donbass in April 2014. The members of the Contact Group have announced ceasefire more than 20 times since the autumn of 2014. Kiev forces regularly violated the truce opening fire with large caliber artillery, mortars and tank guns which were to have been withdrawn from the contact line under the accords. *i*s
