The enemy attempted to break though the Republic’s territory unsuccessfully — DPR State Security Ministry (photos)

On November 30, enemy saboteurs died while attempting to seize key positions on the Republic’s defense line. Deputy Commander of the Operational Command Colonel Eduard Basurin and the Ministry’s press officer Mikhail Popov gave a more detailed account of that during a joint briefing by the DPR Ministry of State Security and the DPR People’s Militia.

According to Colonel Basurin, two officers of the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU), colonel Volochayev and colonel Kaplunov, were killed on November 30 when attempting to infiltrate into the territory of the Republic (4 km south-west of the Staraya Laspa, Telmanovsky District). The saboteurs were supposed to provoke an armed clash and accuse the DPR of disrupting the truce on the eve of the Normandy meeting. The sabotage group was 4 people strong.

“The group, which included SBU ranking officers Kaplunov and Volochayev, was supposed to engage positions of the 128th separate mountain assault brigade from our territory and neutralize a representative of the Ukrainian Defense Ministry, who had arrived as part of the inspection commission to check the units on the front line in the period from November 30 to December 3.

In the course of reconnaissance and search operations at the scene where the sabotage group was neutralized, we found a corpse, special equipment and weapons, we also discovered the places where improvised explosive devices had been planted. The IEDs found by our sappers were disposed on the spot by detonating. The elements of the devices were taken for thorough examination,” Colonel Basurin stated.

In turn, Mikhail Popov noted that the DPR State Security Ministry has information about the initiator of the special operation prearranged this summer. It was general lieutenant of the SBU Special Operations Center Alexander Ustimenko, who had left for the UK to coordinate the operation. The chief the Special Operations Center also promised to promote colonel Volochayev to the office of first deputy chief of the Special Operations Center’s 6th department.

“We are ready to transfer the body of the dead SBU officer to his relatives so that they could pay their last respects to him,” the Ministry’s representative added.