MOSCOW — A prominent pro-Russian rebel leader in eastern Ukraine has been killed in an explosion in his office, his associates said on Wednesday. The agency said 35-year old Tolstykh was killed by a rocket fired from a portable launcher into his office. The very existence of unruly commanders like Givi bolstered the Ukrainian government’s long-standing refusal to negotiate with what it regarded as terrorists. Unlike the assassinated warlords, the Donetsk bureaucrats are seen as less extreme and more inclined to bargain with Kyiv. Peskov denied any Russian involvement in the warlord’s death, calling it impossible.

Source: National Post February 08, 2017 16:41 UTC