Bolotov resigns as LPR leader, will be replaced by Plotnitsky
LUHANSK. Aug 14 (Interfax) - Valery Bolotov has announced his resignation from the post of leader of the self-proclaimed "Luhansk People's Republic" (LPR).
"I have decided to suspend my work at the post of head of the Luhansk People's Republic. The consequences of my wounds do not allowing me to fully dedicate myself to this work for the benefit of all citizens of Luhansk in this difficult time of war," Bolotov told reporters on Thursday.
Bolotov said he has already held consultations with his colleagues from the LPR authorities and "a decision has been adopted to ask Ihor Plotnitsky, who today holds the post of defense minister, to head our republic."
"I am not going to leave the frontline," he added.
"I am a native of Luhansk. My home is here. And I will continue to fight for our common ideals. I am convinced that our struggle will be crowned with success," he added.
The LPR has found itself in a dire situation, Bolotov said.
The Kyiv authorities "have sent huge numbers of troops and military hardware to our cities, and these punitive forces are deliberately destroying our infrastructure," he said.
"It is not a secret that we are standing on the brink of a humanitarian catastrophe. In these conditions, the leaders of the republic have to work virtually beyond their human limits because the lives of Luhansk citizens and their standards of living depend on the results of their work. Bearing all this in mind, I have decided to suspend my work at this post," Bolotov said.
It was announced on August 7 that Oleksandr Borodai had left the post of prime minister of the self-proclaimed "Donetsk People's Republic" (DPR).
"DPR Prime Minister Borodai told a press conference in Donetsk that he is stepping down," the Novorossiya news agency reported.
The DPR leadership confirmed Borodai's resignation.
"The republic's government will be led by one of the Oplot organization leaders, Oleksandr Zakharchenko," the DPR said on its Twitter account.
Borodai himself said he would continue working as the first deputy prime minister.
"I can call myself a crisis manager. The crisis in the DPR is gone now, and this office [prime minister] doesn't need my work any longer, so I have new tasks and a new office," Borodai said.
