Beginning on November 21, the Russian-led separatists of the so-called Luhansk People’s Republic (LNR) were turned upside-down with an attempted coup and change in leadership. The action included an apparent military invasion from the so-called Donetsk People’s Republic (DNR), which was likely assisted by Russia’s 71st “humanitarian aid” convoy. @DFRLab looked into the change in leadership, situation in Luhansk city, and military movement from the so-called DNR.

A Change of Leadership

After chaos broke loose in the “capital” of the so-called LNR on November 21, Russian-led separatist leader Igor Plotnitsky allegedly fled to Russia. He was reportedly seen arriving at Moscow’s Sheremetyevo International Airport on November 23. This likely “coup” emerged after relations strained between Plotnitsky and the so-called LNR “Interior Minister” Igor Kornet. Plotnitsky attempted to fire Kornet from his position on November 20, after Kornet reportedly seized a luxury mansion for private use. Plotnitsky was installed by the Russian Kremlin, while Kornet is rumored to be favored by the Russian Federal Security Service (FSB). Plotnitsky issued a “formal” resignation “for health reasons” relating to “military injuries” on November 24, which was accepted by the so-called LNR “parliament” on November 25.

Following Plotnitsky’s “resignation,” “Minister of State Security” Leonid Pasechnik (call sign “Magadan”) was appointed “Acting Head” of the so-called LNR until “elections” are held. Allegedly, Pasechnik was a Russian Federal Security Service (FSB) agent before 2006, prior to moving to the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU), where he at least achieved the rank of Lieutenant Colonel. Conflicting information regarding Pasechnik’s involvement in corrupt actions. Some reports stated he is anti-corruption and will not take bribes, while others contend history of corruption involving purchasing food at artificially high prices, smuggling coal and fuel, and illegal arms trade. In an interview (below), Pasechnik expressed hope to work closely with the so-called DNR towards integration into the Russian Federation.

Interview with Leonid Pasechnik with English subtitles (Source: YouTube)

Pasechnik’s “official” statement included his recommitment to the Minsk agreements, as he called it his first priority. However, Igor Plotnitsky, the former LNR “leader,” was the official signatory to the Minsk agreements. Both “Head” of the so-called DNR Aleksandr Zakharchenko and “Chairman of the People’s Council” Denis Pushilin issued formal congratulations and announced the Minsk peace process will continue despite the LNR’s leadership change. Only a few official Russian statements were issued on the on the LNR’s change in power, but on November 27, Press Secretary to the President of Russia Dmitry Peskov reportedly stated, “continuity, especially in the implementation of the Minsk agreements, initiatives for the exchange of detained persons, are certainly preserved.”

Militarization of Luhansk City

After the war of the pretenders, in which unidentified armed persons, similar to the Russian “little green men” that invaded Crimea in 2014, reportedly seized key so-called LNR “administrative” buildings in Luhansk city in part of the possible coup, Luhansk city saw a dramatically increased military presence as the situation evolved.

Photo evidence of OSCE SMM observations including military-type vehicles and unidentified armed men (Source: OSCE SMM Facebook)

Unidentified armed persons in military-style clothing, wearing baklavas and white tape armbands are still in Luhansk city, according to observations by the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe’s Special Monitoring Mission (OSCE SMM) to Ukraine. These forces seem to be decreasing, as about 30 persons observed on both November 23 and 24 compared to approximately 100 observed on November 22. In addition to the decrease in “military” persons, previously observed barriers were removed and fewer armored personnel carriers (APC), heavy machine guns, PKM machine guns, or automatic grenade launchers were observed. The situation overall appears to be de-escalating, as the OSCE SMM also observed 20 military-type trucks (ZIL-131) traveling south out of the western outskirts of Luhansk city.

On November 22, the OSCE SMM observed “cordoned off” areas near at the former Ministry of Internal Affairs building at 38 Lunacharskoho Street.

“A few positions of the Luhansk ‘Putschists’ in the city center. Photo: from the public group ‘Drugoi Luhansk,’ OSCE. Thanks to @rtrofymenko @mrn20142 and @nick130586 for geolocation help.”

The unidentified persons described above were armed with disposable anti-tank weapons, automatic grenade launchers (AGS-17) and other small arms, and were transported by four armored personnel carriers (two BTR-variant APC, one BTR-80, and one BTR-70). About 800m away from the building at the intersection of Radianska and Lermontova Streets, the OSCE SMM observed “at least four military-type trucks (with no license plates), an APC (BTR-variant) and five unidentified armed persons wearing military-style clothes and wearing white tape stripes on both arms.”

In violation to the freedom of movement guarantees under Minsk agreements, the armed persons denied the OSCE SMM passage south through Lermontova Street. Curiously, the OSCE SMM noticed there were no radio or TV signals available in the hotels where OSCE SMM staff were accommodated from November 21–22. Note that overall, the SMM was limited in its ability to observe the situation due to additional security measures taken by the OSCE SMM.