LUGANSK, October 28. /TASS/. Law enforcement bodies in the Lugansk People’s Republic (LPR) have detained a man suspected of transmitting data via a Telegram channel to the Ukrainian side about the locations of the Russian military, a spokesman for the republic’s military service told TASS on Friday.
"Law enforcers in the Lugansk Peoples’ Republic detained LPR citizen Andrey Tsyganov, who used social networks, including a Telegram channel, to transfer information to the Ukrainian side about the places of deployment of the Russian Defense Ministry’s forces," the spokesman said.
Tsyganov said: "I have been actively using social networks, including Telegram channels," adding that using a Telegram channel he "transferred data about the location of Russian Armed Forces units in order to guide the Ukrainian military’s weapons targeting the previously reported locations."
"I admit my guilt and repent for what I have done. I promise not to do it anymore," he said.
According to Tsyganov, the Ukrainian side used him to obtain information via Telegram channels "and then ditched me because I was now useless."
"Dear residents of the Belokurakino community [in the LPR] I address you warning against posting on Telegram channels any information," he said. "There is no anonymity mode to keep you safe… nothing is anonymous in the age of digital technologies."
Russia’s special military operation
The situation along the line of engagement in Donbass escalated on February 17. The Donetsk and Lugansk People’s Republics (DPR and LPR) reported the most massive bombardments by the Ukrainian military back then, which damaged civilian infrastructure and caused civilian casualties.
On February 21, President Vladimir Putin announced that Moscow was recognizing the sovereignty of the Donetsk and Lugansk People’s Republics. Russia signed agreements on friendship, cooperation and mutual assistance with their leaders. Moscow recognized the Donbass republics in accordance with the DPR and LPR constitutions within the boundaries of the Donetsk and Lugansk regions as of the beginning of 2014.
Russian President Putin announced on February 24 that in response to a request by the heads of the Donbass republics for assistance he had decided to carry out a special military operation in Ukraine. The DPR and the LPR launched an operation to liberate their territories under Kiev’s control.
From September 23 to September 27, the Donetsk People’s Republic and the Lugansk People’s Republic as well as the Kherson Region and the Zaporozhye Region held a referendum where the majority of voters opted to join Russia.
On September 30, Russian President Vladimir Putin and the heads of the DPR and the LPR, the Zaporozhye and Kherson Regions signed treaties on their accession to Russia. Later, the State Duma and the Federation Council (the lower and upper houses of Russia’s parliament) approved laws on ratifying these treaties, as well as federal constitutional laws on the accession of the four regions to Russia.