OSCE says self-proclaimed authorities in Luhansk region distribute "LPR passports"

10:44, 12.08.2019 1 min read

 The OSCE Special Monitoring Mission (SMM) to Ukraine reports its monitors saw a queue in the Russia-occupied town of Alchevsk in Luhansk region in which people were waiting for the issuance of "passports" of the self-proclaimed "Luhansk People's Republic" ("LPR") to obtain a Russian passport.

"In Alchevsk (non-government-controlled, 40km west of Luhansk), the SMM observed about 30 people (mixed ages and genders) queuing in front of a building, including a woman (35 years old) who told the Mission that she had been waiting for an hour and that only four or five applications were accepted by the office each day. A man (25 years old) told the SMM that he applies for a 'passport' issued by the armed formations in order to subsequently apply for a Russian Federation passport as he has lived and worked in the Russian Federation since 2014," the OSCE SMM said in its report on Saturday, August 10.

Also, the OSCE SMM saw a woman (55 years old), a boy (14 years old) and three men (25-35 years old) coming out of the aforesaid building holding an "LPR passport" in their hands.