Russian-backed militant who took part in seizure of SSU building in Luhansk detained in Kyiv Oblast

The Security Service of Ukraine (SSU) has detained another leader of the Russian-backed self-proclaimed "Luhansk People’s Republic" (LPR), who in 2014 took part in hostilities against Ukrainian troops in the east of the country; a Ukrainian court ordered the man’s arrest.

Source: Press service of the SSU, Artem Dekhtiarenko, spokesman for the SSU

Quote from the SSU: "As a result of multi-stage investigative and operational actions, a former militant leader known as ‘Sotyi’ has been detained in Kyiv Oblast. After the hostilities in the region in 2014, he was hiding from justice, in particular in the temporarily occupied territories of Ukraine.

He decided finally to ‘lie low’ in Kyiv Oblast, where he has now been detained by the SSU.

The perpetrator was a member of the senior staff of the occupation administration of Russian-occupied Luhansk and was in direct contact with the Russian secret services (SOBR).

It was under the latter’s "patronage" that he was appointed ‘Deputy Ministry of Internal Affairs of the ‘LPR’ and commander of the assault unit of the ‘special rapid response unit’ (better known as a ‘branch’ of the Russian SOBR).

While serving in his ‘posts’, he coordinated criminal actions with representatives of the central units of the Russian secret services. He met with them on a regular basis in temporarily occupied Crimea for this purpose."

Details: According to the SSU, in 2014, he commanded groups of militants to carry out Russian tasks during the seizure of the administrative building of the SSU’s Luhansk Office.

He also collected personal data on SSU officers in Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts. He intended to pass the information obtained on to the aggressor state, with the aim of preparing sabotage against Ukrainian defenders.

In addition, the detainee created an extensive network of Russian informers who "leaked" him information about places of deployment and movement of units of the ATO [Anti-Terrorist Operation Zone in 2014, later renamed the Temporarily Occupied Territories of Donestk and Luhansk – ed.] in the east of Ukraine.

He reported the information he obtained to Russian overseers and former militant leaders, including: Aleksey Karyakin, Head of the LPR parliament; Igor Kornet, the Minister of Internal Affairs of the LPR; and Sergei "Grach" Grachev, military commandant of occupied Luhansk.

The SSU noted that there are recordings of the detainee’s conveying to the Russians of classified data on the movement of ATO convoys with military equipment in the areas of Sievierodonetsk, Lysychansk and Svatove, Luhansk Oblast.

The Russian forces used the intelligence obtained to prepare "ambushes" and attack Ukrainian units.

The militant also guarded Russian citizens who came to Luhansk and Donetsk oblasts in 2014 to hold sham referendums, which resulted in the proclamation of the so-called "Luhansk People’s Republic" (LPR) and "Donetsk People’s Republic" (DPR).

The detainee has been served notice that he is suspected of creating a terrorist group or terrorist organisation.

As Dekhtiarenko explained to Ukrainska Pravda, the court imposed preventive detention on him without bail.

The legal article he is suspected of having infringed provides for a punishment of up to 15 years in prison.

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