Moscow Claims Ongoing Investments in Luhansk Without Signs of Demining – Ukrainian Official

A Ukrainian official challenged Moscow’s claims that investments have been coming into the Luhansk region under Russian occupation, noting that Russia “[has] not even started demining for more than two years.”

Artem Lysohor, head of the Luhansk Region Military Administration, said “no additional activity has been noticed on the territory of these facilities destroyed during the assaults by Russian troops” despite Moscow’s claims. 

“The occupiers report investors who allegedly entered industrial enterprises in frontline cities. At the same time, no additional activity has been noticed on the territory of these facilities destroyed during the assaults by Russian troops. 

“They have not even started demining for more than two years,” Lysohor said in a Telegram announcement on Saturday. 

Lysohor added that despite Moscow’s alleged plans to restart the “Azot” chemical plant in Siverskodonetsk in the Luhansk region, progress has been lackluster of late. 

“They themselves agree that they plan to launch Azot only ‘in the coming years.’ At present, they are trying to restore only one of several dozen workshops, which, moreover, has been a separate enterprise since the 1990s and even then left the chemical association,” he added. 

On Saturday, Russian news outlet Pravda reported that Moscow allocated more than 1 billion rubles ($10 million) for the so-called Lugansk People’s Republic, the local separatist government under Moscow’s control, “for priority and socially significant expenditures.” 

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The funding reportedly includes “measures for the construction of housing, utilities, and transportation infrastructure, the development of the social sphere, and the creation of a favorable investment climate.”

In late 2022, Russia announced the annexation of Ukraine’s Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia regions after holding what it called referendums in occupied areas of Ukraine. Kyiv and Western governments said the votes breached international law and ruled them as illegitimate and non-representative.  

At the time of publication, Moscow nearly controls the entirety of the Luhansk region.