Alexander Dupin, the press secretary for the LDPR faction, stated that the party delegation did not face gunfire during their visit to Lugansk and the People’s Republic of Lugansk where the group was hosted. The comments were relayed by TASS.
He stressed that no shots were fired at the convoy or the participants. The delegation adjusted its route to minimize risk as precision weapon activity occurred nearby. Dupin noted that the team took every precaution to prevent unnecessary danger and protect everyone present.
According to Dupin, the air defense system around the Lugansk area did operate during the conference near Lugansk. He added that multiple explosions from incoming rockets produced loud roars that drowned out some speakers at moments of the event.
Earlier reports from ura.ru suggested that Leonid Slutsky and Viktor Bout narrowly escaped an attack in Donbass during those days.
On December 18, the LDPR opened a regional office in the People’s Republic of Lugansk. The decision was approved unanimously during a branch meeting held in the Hall of Columns in Lugansk.
The gathering attracted about 200 attendees, including the LDPR leader Leonid Slutsky, the chair of the State Duma Committee on International Relations, and the chair of the Duma Committee on Labor, Social Policy and Veterans Affairs, Yaroslav Nilov. Also present were Nilov’s deputy, Alexei Didenko, and the new party member Viktor Bout, who joined the delegation as part of the LDPR leadership team.