MOSCOW—The leader of Russian-backed Ukrainian separatists was killed in an explosion Friday, the latest political assassination in a volatile region where the West and Russia have wrestled over how to make peace. Alexander Zakharchenko, the 42-year-old head of the self-declared Donetsk People’s Republic, died in a blast at a cafe in downtown Donetsk, the separatists’ news agency said.

Source: Wall Street Journal August 31, 2018 20:36 UTC