Top Separatist Commander Killed In Eastern Ukraine
Reports say Aleksei Mozgovoi, a leading pro-Russian separatist commander in eastern Ukraine, has been killed along with at least six other rebels in an attack by an unknown group.
A press service for territory in Ukraine's Luhansk region controlled by separatists said on May 23 that Mozgovoi, the leader of the rebels' Ghost battalion, was killed when his car blew up and was then ambushed by attackers who sprayed it with machine-gun fire.
Sergei Gorenko, a spokesman for the separatists, said "at the moment, one theory is that it was the work of a raiding group," but did not give any further details.
The incident occurred near the rebel-controlled town of Alchevsk, about 30 kilometers away from the frontline.
None of the others killed in the attack were named.
There have been several assassination attempts against the hard-line Mozgovoi, most recently in March.
Based on reporting by Reuters and AP
Shelling Forces Production Halt At Eastern Ukrainian Coke Plant
Heavy shelling in eastern Ukraine has halted production at a coke plant operated by Ukraine's largest steel company.
The Avdiyivka plant, owned by Metinvest and located in Donetsk region, came under bombardment on May 23.
The company announced on its website on May 24 that coke production at the plant has been halted as a result, adding that "as soon as the situation stabilizes, work to restore power supply to the factory will begin."
The bombardment comes after one worker was killed and two wounded on May 21 in what the company said was the heaviest shelling of the plant since the Ukraine cease-fire was declared in mid-February.
Metinvest is owned by Ukrainian tycoon Rinat Akhmetov, who has voiced his support for a united Ukraine but whose assets have reportedly been scrutinized recently by Kyiv as part of a so-called de-oligarchization campaign.
In April, hundreds of coal miners marched through the capital demanding that the government stop the closure of mines.
Reporting by Reuters, AP, and Interfax
From Reuters:
HEAD OF REGIONAL POLICE SAYS ONE CIVILIAN KILLED, TWO WOUNDED IN SHELLING OF GOVERNMENT-HELD AVDIYIVKA IN EAST UKRAINE