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The leader of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People's Republic, Alexander Zakharchenko, is killed in a blast at a café in Donetsk.
2018-08-31

DPR leader Alexander Zakharchenko announced that the self-declared Donetsk People's Republic (DPR) and Luhansk People's Republic (LPR) would form a new state called Malorossiya (Little Russia) as an official successor to what he called the "failed state" of Ukraine, with Donetsk replacing Kiev as the country's capital. Ukrainian president Petro Poroshenko and LPR leader Igor Plotnitsky denounced the plans.
2017-07-18

A bomb placed in an elevator shaft kills Pro-Russian, high-ranking officer of the Donetsk People's Republic's special forces, Arseny Pavlov, also known as "Motorola", in Donetsk.
2016-10-16

Representatives of the Russian-backed Donetsk People's Republic in Eastern Ukraine say at least five civilians are killed by artillery fire at a checkpoint in the town of Olenivka, with another 10 injured. Kiev denies the accusation. A local border-guard spokesman says there was an explosion at the checkpoint but he saw no artillery fired from either side, suggesting the blast could have been a bomb.
2016-04-27

A Ukrainian court sentences two Russian nationals to 14 years in prison each on charges of fighting alongside Russian-backed separatists in eastern Ukraine. Moscow contends that the two Russians were no longer employed by the state when they were captured.
2016-04-18

The Ukrainian Army says eight of its soldiers were wounded in fighting against Russian-backed separatists in the east of the country during the previous 24 hours. A military spokesman said there had been 29 shelling incidents around Mariupol.
2016-04-13

The office of the President of Ukraine calls on the European Union and NATO to condemn the Russian-backed rebels for military action in Debaltseve. The self-proclaimed rebel government officials claim the town was not part of the recently established ceasefire.
2015-02-17

Voters in break away "people's republics" (Donetsk People's Republic and Lugansk People's Republic respectively) in Donetsk and Luhansk go to the polls for parliamentary and presidential elections. Rebel leaders Alexander Zakharchenko (Donetsk) and Igor Plotnisky (Luhansk) appear set for victory in early counting in elections which will be recognised in Russia but not elsewhere. International observers noted a very high turnout.
2014-11-2

Alexander Zakharchenko, self-proclaimed prime minister of the Donetsk People's Republic rebellion, calls for a truce on humanitarian grounds after admitting Ukrainian government forces had surrounded the main insurgent stronghold of Donetsk.
2014-08-9

Rebel commander Igor Girkin confirms that Ukrainian government forces have recaptured control of the strategic town of Krasnyi Luch from pro-Russian insurgents, effectively closing in the Donetsk People's Republic rebellion.
2014-08-9