LUHANSK, Ukraine -- Despite being under criminal investigation, Valery Bolotov, leader of self-proclaimed Luhansk Republic, managed over this week to cross the border with Russia and come back to Ukraine, according to reports by both the insurgents and country’s border service.
Bolotov, who called himself the “people’s governor,” was reportedly shot on May 13 in assassination attempt and had to travel to Russia for medical treatment.
Early on May 17, when crossing into Ukraine, he was arrested by border guards on an arrest warrant issued by a Luhansk court. He is under criminal investigation for promoting separatism. But Bolotov’s allies, who call themselves the Army of Southeast, said they managed to fight to win his release.
Vladimir Gromov, head of counterintelligence of Luhansk separatists, said the press conference that Bolotov was arrested by border guards and customs officers at 5:45 a.m. at the Dovzhansky border checkpoint. Hearing about this, the insurgents organized operation on his release.
“At about 6:15 a.m. several mobile groups drove to Dovzhansky. There were some 150 gunmen, I mean representative of Army of Southeast,” Gromov said, adding that there were up tp 60 people on the side of border guards.
He added that after brief negotiations a shootout started and lasted for about 15 minutes and allowed the insurgents to free their leader. “Now Bolotov is in building of the regional administration, he feels fine but a bit tired,” Gromov said promising that soon Bolotov would be able to meet with the press.
The report of the state border guard service had basically the same information, with a slight difference only in numbers. The border guards said that there were 200 armed men who came to Dovzhansky checkpoint demanding the release of Bolotov. The border guards tried to play for time, waiting for the military helicopters that should have provided them support. “But at about 7:50 a.m. the shootout started. The attackers began to storm the checkpoint using all their arms and grenades,” the report said, adding that as a result of that Bolotov was released.
There were no reports about killed or wounded on both sides, stirring suspicions that there was any fight at all. “There are no signs proving that there was “severe fight” near Dovzhansky checkpoint as a result of which Bolotov was allegedly released,” Dmytro Tymchuk, military blogger wrote on his Facebook. “There were no signs of presence of big number of gunmen as well.”
Weeks ago Ukraine’s prosecution opened three criminal cases against Bolotov for separatism, while Luhansk Republic has been recently recognized as terrorist organization along with self-proclaimed republic of Donetsk separatists.
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