LPR gets back 28 militiamen after prisoner exchange with Ukraine - ombudsperson

The Lugansk People’s Republic has brought home 28 fighters in the latest prisoner exchange with Ukraine, LPR ombudsperson Viktoria Serdyukova told the Lugansk Media Center.

 

Russia and Ukraine held a prisoner exchange on December 8. “Fifty Russian servicemen returned from Kiev-controlled territory, including 28 LPR militiamen,” Serdyukova said.

 

“The released servicemen will be taken to Moscow for treatment and rehabilitation at Defense Ministry hospitals,” she said adding that they were receiving necessary medical and psychological assistance.

 

Earlier, Serdyukova said that as of December 12, 2022, 150 LPR militiamen had returned from Ukrainian captivity since the beginning of the special military operation.

 

On February 24, 2022 Russian President Vladimir Putin announced a special military operation to protect Donbass residents from Ukrainian aggression. Prior to that, LPR and DPR Heads Leonid Pasechnik and Denis Pushilin asked the Russian leader to provide military assistance. The LPR militia and Russian armed forces fully liberated the LPR territory from Ukrainian armed formations on July 3.

 

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.

 

The Lugansk People’s Republic acceded to Russia on September 30, 2022 following the unification referendum.*i*ie