The head of the Luhansk People’s Republic (LNR), Leonid Pasechnik, said that Oleg Popov, an ex-deputy of the People’s Council of the region of the third convocation, who died in a car bombing in Lugansk, was a welcome target for the Ukrainian special services.

He noted that Popov made a significant contribution to the development of the legislative framework of the republic.

«From the first days of the LPR’s existence, Oleg Popov stood up for it, fought in the ranks of the people’s militia. He was a coveted target for the Ukrainian security forces <…> Today’s explosion was fatal,» he wrote on his Telegram channel.

The head of the region also noted that this was not the first attempt on the ex-deputy.

«Oleg Nikolaevich survived the first attempt on September 20, 2022. Then the customer was the SBU (Security Service of Ukraine. — Ed.), but the attempt failed: the perpetrator was detained during the operation of our special services,» the Beekeeper said.

He noted that investigators and criminologists are currently working to establish all the circumstances of the incident. Pasechnik added that, according to preliminary data, Popov was the victim of «another terrorist act organized by the criminal Kiev regime.» At the same time, the Investigative Committee of Russia (IC RF) opened a criminal case on a terrorist attack, illegal trafficking and manufacture of explosives upon the death of Popov.

The head of the LPR also expressed condolences to the family and friends of the ex-deputy.

Earlier that day, the head of the Zaporozhye public movement «We are together with Russia», Vladimir Rogov, reported that Popov was injured as a result of a car explosion in Lugansk. At the same time, Izvestia showed footage from the scene of the assassination attempt.