“The objective situation at the front shows that there can be different situations that may improve… For now, the operational situation on the territory of the republic does not allow this — there has been no access to remote settlements and still isn’t”, - the so-called “human rights commissioner in the LNR”, Anna Soroka, told local journalists.
According to her, employees of her office, for example, “were unable to reach Popasna to see how people survived the fourth winter”. Soroka admitted that in previous years, food supplies were “heroically delivered” to people who remained living among the ruins of Popasna by a single entrepreneur. But in August 2025, he was killed. “Large trucks with coal and firewood could not reach there again due to the difficult operational situation”, - the “ombudswoman” said. Thus, she admitted, it is not possible not only to help but even to find out how local residents got through the winter. “Unfortunately, we also cannot operate there regarding the dead”, - the “human rights defender” added.
A similar situation, according to her, is observed in the so-called “Svatove municipal district” and Kreminna.
As reported earlier, the head of the Ministry of Construction of russia, Irek Faizullin, stated that it was decided not to restore Popasna. “Because it was a city of one hundred thousand people, nothing is left there, we are not doing anything there for now, seven people live there, they do not want to leave their private homes: there is no water, no light, no electricity, no heating, of course, and no gas either, but people want to stay”, - he explained the consequences of the “liberated” city in September 2023.