Editing Igor Plotnitsky (section)

=== Luhansk People's Republic ===
With the start of 2014 pro-Russian unrest in Ukraine (in the Donbass region), Plotnitsky sided with so called Luhansk People's Republic (LPR). In April 2014 he organized the rebel battalion ''Zarya'' and on 21 May 2014 he was appointed as the Minister of Defense for Luhansk People's Republic. After resignation of Valeriy Bolotov on 14 August 2014, Plotnitsky succeeded him as a Head of LPR.

Plotnitsky won the 2014 Luhansk Presidential Election with 63% of the vote. The Russian Foreign Ministry recognized the elections despite the Minsk Protocol which they signed. When Plotnitsky was participating in election of the Head of LPR, Plotnitsky later stated that he was appointed to the post, but did not specify by whom.

Another journalist's research points on a direct connection between Plotnitsky and a former Ukrainian official, Oleksandr Yefremov (former Governor of Luhansk Oblast), one of the leaders of Party of Regions. On 30 October 2014, the Prosecutor General's Office of Ukraine issued a statement, that he and Aleksandr Popov are suspected for kidnapping Nadiya Savchenko. Since 10 November 2014 Plotnitsky has been wanted by the Security Service of Ukraine for his role in LPR.

Plotnitsky challenged Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko to a duel (possibly to be broadcast live on TV) in an open letter published on 19 November 2014 in which he proposes "Whoever wins will dictate their terms to the opposing side". Plotinsky said that if he won the duel, he would begin by ending all military action in the country's turbulent east, and would then force "all legal, half-legal, paralegal and illegal armed groups" into exile.

On 11 February 2015, the LPR leadership signed the Minsk II agreement that arranged rebel-held territory reintegration into Ukraine and the overhauling the Ukrainian constitution to grant it a special status within Ukraine's borders. The next week Plotnitsky said that "If Ukraine remains like it is now, we will never be together", but that if the Ukrainian government would carry out the reforms laid out in the Minsk agreement "Time will show whether we will be part of the future, new and renewed Ukraine."

On 18 January 2017 Plotnitsky (on his "official website") declared "we will never return to Ukraine!" and that the LPR was "returning to his home – Russia, the Russian world".

On 22 November 2017 Russian media citing unofficial sources stated he was overthrown by the former interior minister on 21 November 2017 and had fled to Russia while other Russian media reported that he had not left Luhansk. On 24 November 2017 a seperatist websiye stated that Plotnitsky had retired from the presidency citing poor health. The website of the separatists stated that Plotnitsky had resigned "for health reasons. Multiple war wounds, the effects of blast injuries, took their toll.” The website stated that security minister Leonid Pasechnik had been named acting leader "until the next elections." Plotnitsky was stated to become the separatist's representative to the Minsk process. Plotnitsky himself did not issue a public statement on 21 November 2017.