Another separatist official dismissed as the power struggle in the so-called LPR continues
Last week, members of the People’s Council of the so-called Luhansk People’s Republic voted to dismiss Chairman Aleksey Kariakin, who was also one of the leaders of the “Army of the South-East”, which was instrumental in seizing parts of the Luhansk region in the beginning of the war, Radio Svoboda reported. Kariakin’s removal is the latest in a series of forced resignations of commanders of so-called LPR forces, the majority of whom were involved in the early battles of the war.
Moreover, some individuals in leadership positions of the self-proclaimed republic who were critical of the leader of the so-called LPR, Igor Plotnitsky, have been found dead under mysterious circumstances.
In May of last year, for example, the leader of the “Prizrak” battalion, Aleksey Mozgovoy, was killed by a car bomb. Several days before his death, Mozgovoy accused the Plotnitsky regime of corruption and contributing to the rising crime rate in the region.
“I don’t see the Government doing anything to make the Republic ‘transparent’, or doing anything for the people, that is why crime is returning, and taking its usual place, as in the past,” the former battalion leader stated before his death.
The authorities of the so-called LPR blamed Kiev for Mozgovoy’s death. “Indeed, he was the leader, many people respected and supported him, although it was consistent with our common understanding that it [the murder] was profitable for Ukraine only,” Plotnitsky stated.
Similarly, the leader of a Cossack regiment, Pavel Dremov, was killed by a car bomb in the fall of last year. Like Mozgovoy, Dremov openly criticized the leadership of the breakaway region.
“Mr. Plotnitsky steals coal every day. There is relevant documentation. How long will Plotnitsky keep ripping us off?” Dremov asked before his death.
Some analysts believe that the head of the so-called LPR is afraid of what’s known as the ”first wave”- commanders who were involved in the early operations in the spring of 2014- and considers them a threat to his position.
“Plotnitsky is afraid of commanders of the so-called ‘first wave’, since they enjoy authority among separatists,” Realnaya Gazeta journalist Alexander Belokobylsky wrote.
“In my opinion, the top leadership of the ‘LPR’ is trying to remove opponents. The vertical authority headed by Igor Plotnitsky is being strengthened. The power struggle is in its final stages, there are almost no opponents,” wrote the journalist, who has monitored the political situation in the so-called LPR since the beginning of the war
Recently, the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) started criminal proceedings against Plotnitsky in absentia. He is charged with several crimes, including illegal imprisonment and kidnapping, the illegal movement of people across borders, and inciting the public to commit terrorist acts.