Kiev artillery attacks claim 72 lives in LPR over year, 268 people wounded - ombudsperson

Seventy-two people including three children have been killed by Ukrainian artillery strikes at the Lugansk People’s Republic in 2023, and another 268 including 19 children have been wounded, LPR ombudsperson Viktoria Serdyukova said at a Lugansk Media Center press briefing.

“We monitor the aftermath of Ukrainian aggression throughout the year receiving information from the Investigative Committee on damage and civilian casualties <...> The figures have decreased considerably year-on-year,” Serdyukova said.  “Damage has been caused to 896 civil infrastructure facilities so far: full updates will be available by yearend.”

The LPR’s interaction with international organization is one sided; “they merely listen to us,” she said.

Reports on the aftermath of Ukrainian aggression are released monthly in the hope that the United Nations will carry out a check, but not a single check has been initiated over the past two years, Serdyukova said.

She added that she had appealed to the International Committee of the Red Cross over evacuation issues and humanitarian aid.

The armed conflict unleashed by Ukraine has claimed the lives of 65 children in the Lugansk People’s republic since 2014; another 186 children have been wounded.

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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.

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*sb