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.

The Donbas region in eastern Ukraine comprises Donetsk and Luhansk regions, as well as several other Russian-populated regions, with the two provinces unilaterally declared independence from Kyiv in 2014 after a change of government in Ukraine.

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 Donbas, and prior to the current escalation of the conflict, it was under the control of the Kyiv regime.

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