Former separatist leader proposed uniting the two breakaway republics and making Zacharchenko a 'president'
The First head of the self-proclaimed Luhansk People’s Republic, Valery Bolotov, considers it necessary to return the whole territory of the Donetsk and Luhansk regions to the DPR and LPR jurisdiction in order for both republics to unite.
"It is my opinion that the first thing to do, is to return the territory of the former Luhansk and Donetsk regions to the LPR and DPR. I also believe that it is necessary to unite the two Republics,” he wrote on his page on Vkontakte.
As for the head of the new Union, Bolotov sees the current leader of the DPR, Alexander Zakharchenko, as taking this role.
“Some have asked whether I want to lead the united republics. At the moment I consider Alexander Zakharchenko to be the most suitable candidate as he has a good hold of the situation and has credibility among people. Personally, as a soldier, I’m ready to serve where I’ll be most useful. My main task is to finish what we started, to protect the interest of our population,” the ex-head of the LPR said.
Earlier, representatives of the DPR and LPR stated that the issue of unification of the republics is not being considered at this time.
Valery Bolotov led the self-proclaimed Luhansk People’s republic in May 2014, but in August left his post and moved to the Russian Federation, as was reported, for medical treatment, however, he didn’t return to the LPR. In November, Igor Plotnitsky was elected as the head of the Republic.