LUGANSK, February 24. /TASS/. Several fighters of the 57th Separate Motorized Infantry Brigade of the Ukrainian Armed Forces voluntarily laid down their weapons and defected to the Lugansk People's Republic’s side, a correspondent of the LuganskInformCenter in the Krymskoye settlement reports.

The Lugansk People's Militia command said that the surrendered fighters "will be released home after the hostilities’ end".

The Krymskoye settlement is located near the line of contact in Donbass, and prior to the current escalation of the conflict, it was under the control of the Kiev regime.