Lugansk People’s Republic Acting Head Leonid Pasechnik has ordered LPR ombudsperson Viktoria Serdyukova to make arrangements for Donbass fighters’ trip back home.
Russia and Ukraine held a prisoner exchange on February 16. One hundred and one Russian servicemen including 44 LPR fighters returned from Kiev-controlled territory.
“As a result of difficult negotiations, 101 servicemen were released from Ukrainian prisons including 44 Lugansk region residents, our compatriots,” Pasechnik wrote on Telegram. “I instructed LPR ombudsperson Viktoria Serdyukova to make arrangement for our defenders’ trip to their children and families in the Republic who have been looking forward to the reunion.”
The servicemen are currently receiving medical and psychological assistance in other Russian regions, he said.
Pasechnik thanked all the persons involved in the prisoner swap talks.
The previous prisoner exchange took place on February 4. Sixty-three Russian servicemen including 12 Donbass defenders returned from Kiev-controlled territory.
The LPR leader said that the Republic had brought home 65 fighters in the prisoner exchange with Ukraine during the New Year holidays.
Serdyukova said that as of December 12, 2022, 150 LPR militiamen had returned from Ukrainian captivity since the beginning of the special military operation. Just before the New Year, the Republic got back another 41 servicemen including 37 LPR militiamen. The LPR ombudsperson said that more than 100 of them had been physically abused.
The Ukrainian government launched the so-called anti-terrorist operation against Donbass in April 2014. The peace talks that began soon thereafter failed to reach tangible results due to Kiev’s position to settle the conflict by force.
Russian President Vladimir Putin announced a special military operation to protect Donbass residents from Ukrainian aggression on February 24, 2022. Prior to that, LPR and DPR Heads Leonid Pasechnik and Denis Pushilin asked the Russian leader to provide military assistance.
The Lugansk People’s Republic acceded to Russia on September 30, 2022 following the unification referendum.*i*v
