LPR People's Militia Serviceman. Archival photo SEVERODONETSK (LPR), May 29. Residents of Severodonetsk told RIA Novosti that they were glad and could not believe that the forces of the Russian Federation and the Luhansk People's Republic had entered the city. Earlier, the official representative of the People's Militia of the LPR, Ivan Filiponenko stated that the forces of the People's Militia of the Lugansk People's Republic, with the support of the Russian Armed Forces, wedged into the line of defense of Ukrainian troops in Severodonetsk in the Donbass and occupied a foothold in the city. According to him, the Ukrainian security forces are hiding in the residential buildings of the city of Severodonetsk and are firing at residential areas from which they have already retreated. , everyone rushed to hug us, they did not believe that our people had come,» a resident of the city of Marina told RIA Novosti. Russia has been conducting a military operation to denazify and demilitarize Ukraine since February 24. Vladimir Putin called its goal «the protection of people who have been subjected to bullying and genocide by the Kyiv regime for eight years.» As stated in the Ministry of Defense, the Russian army by the end of March had completed the main tasks of the first stage — significantly reduced the combat potential of Ukraine. 
