LPR General Prosecutor Rakhno announcing investigation and arrest results at a press conference
This was announced today by the head of the Department on Supervising the Observance of Laws in the Military Sphere, LPR, General Prosecutor Sergey Rakhno.
Earlier, Rakhno reported that the LPR's General Prosecutor's Office had launched a criminal case on the attempted seizure of power in the republic. In connection with the coup attempt, the head of the LPR, Igor Plotnitsky, called on the republic's citizens to be vigilant and not succumb to Kiev's provocations in trying to destabilize the situation in the LPR from within.
"Over the course of investigations, a preliminary number of persons was revealed including those who, during repeated meetings over the course of 2014-2016, agreed to implement the scenario of overthrowing and physically eliminating the republic's leadership in the face of the republic's head, the ministerial council's leaders, the National Council, and the republic's security structures, then to be occupied by certain persons," Rakhno reported.
General Prosecutor Rakhno has reported that one of the People's Militia's leaders, Kiselev, was arrested and then offered enlightening confessions on those involved in planning the coup. He has been put under house arrest on court order.
Also arrested was the LPR head's advisor Tsypkalov, whose cooperation in today's investigative operations led to a confrontation between him and the detained Kiselev. Given information obtained that other participants of the conspiracy are attempting to murder the detained conspirators, the arrested have been detained in one of the LPR government's administrative buildings.
Last night, the arrested Tsypkalov, having realized the depth of his criminal actions and the physical danger facing him for informing on other persons involved in the conspiracy, committed suicide by hanging himself.
The former chairman of the National Council of the Lugansk People's Republic, Karyakin, is now wanted on charges of committing serious crimes and his involvement in the coup attempt. When law enforcement officers attempted to arrest him, he wielded a personal gun and fled.
Rakhno reported further: "It must be noted that the motive for committing such a criminal plan was admitted by the arrested and other persons to be a reaction to actions taken by the LPR head and operating government agencies on suppressing corruption and criminal schemes related to a 'protection racket' of illegal business activities, including smuggling in the republic."
According to media reports, Denis Kolesnikov, the head of a National Council committee on numerous regulatory policies, was also arrested today.
Media have also reported that Kiselev was wounded during his arrest and is now in intensive care.
Comment: The alleged thwarted coup was announced by LPR head Igor Plotnitsky on September 20, citing internal enemies and their foreign patrons ("perhaps even in the Russian Federation"), the goal being facilitating entry into the LPR by the Ukrainian army. This follows the August 6th assassination attempt on Plotnitsky. Many in Lugansk doubt the government's narrative, pointing out the level of infighting among LPR leadership and security services. Plotnitsky and his government do not enjoy nearly the level of popularity and support as DPR's Zakharchenko. Living conditions are worse in LPR, and corruption is still a problem, so there is cause for unrest and motive for a coup.
DPR's Zakharchenko confirms his government sent the Sparta battalion, led by "Motorola", to LPR, to aid in preventing the coup.