LPR and DPR officials flee after Zakharchenko assassination
Sergey Kozlov, prime minister of the unrecognized Luhansk People’s Republic (LPR), has decided to leave the region following the assassination of Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR) leader Alexander Zakharchenko, Kozlov himself said on Facebook.
“In connection with the prevailing situation, for the purpose of security, I am leaving LPR territory for a while… I ask everyone to remain calm and not to succumb to panic. The enemy will be defeated. We will avenge the deaths of our loved ones,” Kozlov wrote.
Verkhovna Rada Human Rights Commissioner for the Luhansk and Donetsk regions Pavel Lisyanskiy said that Zakharchenko’s close circle will soon attempt to flee the DPR. “They will put on civilian clothing and try to hide,” he posted on Facebook.
Lisyanskiy also pointed out that the Mayorsk border crossing is now only open to people entering the so-called republic. The Marinka and Hnutovo crossings are closed to both departures and arrivals on the DPR side. DPR residents are not being allowed into Russia or the LPR.
Zakharchenko was killed on Friday, August 31, in an explosion at the Separ restaurant in the center of Donetsk.