Leonid Pasechik, acting head of "Lugansk People's Republic". Photo by Valentin Sprinchak/TASS
Ukraine Day 1376: LIVE UPDATES BELOW. Three Ukrainian soldiers were wounded in battle.
Yesterday’s coverage of the Ukraine conflict can be found here.
An Invasion By Any Other Name: The Kremlin’s Dirty War in Ukraine
Pasechnik Made Acting Head of ‘Lugansk People’s Republic’; 3 Ukrainian Soldiers WIA
Armed men in Lugansk on November 22, 2017. Photo by OSCE SMM
Leonid Pasechnik, the minister of state security of the self-declared “Lugansk People’s Republic” (LNR) has become the acting head of the LNR, the press service of the self-declared “Donetsk People’s Republic” (DNR) reported. Aleksandr Zakharchenko, leader of the DNR, sent congratulations to Pasechnik.
Last week, armed people and military vehicles appeared in Lugansk amid reports that Leonid Plotnitsky had been overthrown by Igor Korent, an LNR rival. Plotnitsky has now fled to Moscow and issued a statement that he was resigning “for health reasons”.
Pasechnik said “The numerous battle wounds and the effects of concussions have taken their toll,” Pasechnik said of Plotnitsky’s condition. Plotnitsky was wounded in an attempt on his life last year.
According to InfoResist, Russia-backed forces attacked 12 times, the ATO [Anto-Terrorist Operation] reported. Two Ukrainian soldiers were wounded and one was concussed.
On the Lugansk line, militants fired 120-mm mortars on Ukrainian positions at Troitskoye and fired on Katerinovka, Novoaleksandrovka and Lobachev in the evening. A BMP and heavy machine guns were used to attack the suburbs of Popasnaya. Small arms were fired near Luganskoye.
On the Donetsk line, Pavlopo fell under mortar fire and grenade launchers and light infantry weapons were fired on the approaches to Avdeyevka and Kamyanka.
Ukrainian forces returned fire 9 times.
— Catherine A. Fitzpatrick