You're reading: Luhansk People’s Republic claims control over Ukrainian military unit in Luhansk

Luhansk – The military unit of the Ukrainian National Guard in Luhansk is fully controlled by the so-called Southeast Army and reports to the self-proclaimed Luhansk People's Republic, the Luhansk People's Republic reported. 

“The territory of the unit is occupied by the self-defense forces, our people are now there. The fate of the commanders of the unit is unknown. No soldiers, conscripts or contract servicemen, are left on the territory of the unit,” the press service for the Luhansk People’s Republic told Interfax.

The Ukrainian National Guard reported earlier on Thursday that the self-defense forces had taken over several buildings on the territory of the National Guard unit.

“Some buildings were taken over by the attackers and some of the law enforcement officers’ weapons were taken. Conscripts have been taken to a safe distance and transferred to a different part of the military city,” the Ukrainian National Guard press service reported.

According to the report, the self-defense forces initially attacked a convoy battalion of the Luhansk regiment of the Eastern Territorial Junction of the Ukrainian National Guard, which was stationed in a building separate from the military unit.

“During the attack, officers and contract servicemen fired back and resisted the attackers. They were able to resist the first attempt to take over the military unit. Several attackers were eliminated during the storming, and one Ukrainian contract serviceman was badly wounded,” the National Guard said.

However, the Ukrainian National Guard said that “the military men’s relatives and parents and journalists came soon after the shots were fired,” and the attackers took advantage of that by “breaking into the territory of the military unit, attacking the administrative building, damaging the gas pipeline of the barracks, and threatening to blow up the building,” which was full of the military men’s parents.

“The military men had to retreat to prevent an explosion,” the National Guard reported.

At the same time, an attempt was made to take over another military facility, a military unit located in the city of Oleksandrivsk, Luhansk region. “The fighters’ attack on a military unit of the Ukrainian National Guard was repelled at 2145. No personnel were killed. After failing to storm the building, the attackers left the territory of the facility,” the Ukrainian National Guard said in its report.

The press service for the self-proclaimed Luhansk People’s Republic, for its part, earlier reported that dozens of conscripts had voluntarily surrendered in a clash between the self-defense forces and the Ukrainian National Guard’s regiment.

“Eighty to 100 people voluntarily surrendered and laid down their weapons,” the press service for the self-proclaimed Luhansk People’s Republic told Interfax.

The source said “there are casualties, their number is now being determined, some people have been wounded and some have been killed, but it is not known yet who precisely was killed and on what side.”

“The [soldiers] all walked out and laid down their weapons. Some of the soldiers, those who live in Luhansk, were allowed to go home, and the others will be sent to their residences,” the source said.