Pro-Russian separatist commander Motorola killed in Donetsk

Pro-Russian separatist commander Arsen Pavlov, nicknamed Motorola, was killed in the self-proclaimed People's Republic of Donetsk, reported news agency Interfax on Sunday citing Donetsk's Defense Ministry officials. According to the news agency, Motorola was killed in an explosion in an elevator. The bomb is believed to have been planted by a Ukrainian resistance movement.

In June 2016, head of the People's Republic of Donetsk Aleksander Zakharchenko said that an explosion that occurred near the centre of Donetsk had been an attack on Motorola.

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.