Head of self-proclaimed People’s Republic of Donetsk Aleksander Zakharchenko has called Sunday’s killing of pro-Russian separatist commander Arsen Pavlov, nicknamed Motorola, a declaration of war by Ukraine.
Zakharchenko also said that the Donetsk has the names of those who hired Motorola’s killer, but that an investigation was underway to determine the killer’s identity.
Denis Pushilin, a representative of the Donetsk Republic, said that Ukraine bears responsibility for Motorola’s death and that this development could lead to an escalation of the situation in the Donbass.
The Ukrainian government has denied any involvement in Motorola’s death. Ukrainian Interior Ministry representative Artem Shevchenko said that the “terrorist’s” death may have been arranged by his own “accomplices”.
News agency Interfax reported on Sunday that Motorola had been killed in an explosion in a elevator. The bomb, it reported, was believed to have been planted by a Ukrainian resistance movement.
Arsen Pavlov participated in the battles for Ilovaysk and Donetsk airport. He was also a public figure in the Donestk separatist movement, as stories about him often appeared on national television.
In Ukraine, he was suspected of war crimes. Ukrainian authorities tried to have him put on Interpol’s wanted list, though consent was not given. Pavlov’s name did appear on the European Union’s sanctions list, however.