Image copyright Getty Images Image caption Givi was one of the best-known faces among the separatists

A prominent separatist commander has been killed in eastern Ukraine, four days after another pro-Russian military leader was blown up by a car bomb.

Mikhail Tolstykh, known as Givi, was killed when a rocket was fired into his office in what rebel authorities in Donetsk are calling a terrorist attack.

Eastern Ukraine has seen its bloodiest period of clashes since 2015, with at least 35 deaths in little over a week.

Rebels have blamed Ukraine's security services for both bomb attacks.

Oleg Anashschenko, who was de facto defence minister of the self-proclaimed Luhansk People's Republic (LNR), had been driving in Luhansk when his car blew up on Saturday.

Why have so many rebel commanders been killed?

Image copyright Reuters Image caption Last October, one of the best known rebel commanders "Motorola" was killed by a bomb

The two military figures blown up in the past few days are the latest in a series of rebel commanders killed in eastern Ukraine. The conflict between Ukrainian troops and pro-Russian separatists erupted after Russia annexed Ukraine's southern Crimea peninsula in March 2014.

Ukrainians in Kiev have put the most recent killings down to infighting among rebels. Military commentator and MP Dmytro Tymchuk suggested that Givi had begun ignoring orders, particularly during the escalation of fighting at Avdiivka last week, just outside Donetsk.

Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption "There is an ugly persistence to Europe's forgotten war" - Tom Burridge reports

Givi led the so-called Somali battalion during the rebels' successful campaign to seize control of Donetsk airport.

He was one of the best-known faces among the separatists, along with Arseny Pavlov, widely known as Motorola, who was blown up in a lift at a block of flats in Donetsk last October.

Pavlov, a Russian military veteran, was high on Kiev's wanted list, having told reporters that he had killed 15 Ukrainian prisoners.

Mysterious deaths

Ever since the conflict in the east began, there have been numerous incidents involving separatist leaders and rarely have the attackers been caught.

January 2015: Oleksandr Bednov, head of Luhansk rapid reaction force, shot dead with bodyguards

May 2015: Oleksiy Mozhovyy, killed with entourage in ambush

August 2016: Ihor Plotnitskiy, head of the self-styled Luhansk People's Republic (LPR), survives an attack on his car; both his parents died in Russia the following month, reportedly of mushroom poisoning

September 2016: Ex-Plotnitskiy adviser hangs himself while in detention for allegedly plotting a coup

January 2017: Ex-LPR leader Valeriy Bolotov dies suddenly in Moscow, weeks after accusing Plotnitskiy of illegally seizing power. His family says he was poisoned</s>The commander of the Donetsk People's Republic's Somali battalion, Mikhail Tolstykh, famous as Givi, has been killed in a terrorist attack in Donetsk, the Ministry of Defense of the DPR has reported."Regrettably, we can confirm this fact," the DPR's military spokesman, Eduard Basurin, has told journalists.The terrorist attack took place at around 6:00 A.M.. "The death of this man was beneficial to Ukrainian special forces," the DPR command commented.Employees of the Ministry for Emergency Situations are working at the scene.According to a defense ministry official, "This is a continuation of the terrorist war begun by the Kiev government against the people of Donbass. An investigative team is working at the site of the terrorist attack."The ministry also added that security measures have been stepped up in the DPR and residents are urged to remain calm. "We know what kind of people these are. We will find them and they will be punished to the full extent of wartime laws," the DPR's prosecutor stated, also confirming that the terrorist attack was the work of a Ukrainian sabotage-reconnaissance group.Colonel Mikhail Tolstykh, a.k.a. Givi, was born in Ilovaysk on July 19th, 1980. Givi chose his nickname while serving in the Ukrainian Army. After the coup d'etat in Ukraine in 2014, Tolstykh became one of the activists of the movement for self-determination for the country's eastern regions.When Ukrainian troops began their military operation against the self-proclaimed Donetsk and Lugansk People's Republics, Givi was promoted to commander and fought in the battles of Slavyansk, Ilovaysk, as well the Donetsk Airport.In October 2016, Givi's close comrade-in-arms and militia commander Arsen Pavlov, a.k.a Motorola, was also killed in Donetsk as a result of a terrorist attack.Givi's assassination isin the context of the overall escalation of the situation in Donbass. On February 4th, the commander of the Lugansk People's Militia, Oleg Anashchenko, was killed in Lugansk, which was also identified as a Ukrainian terrorist attack.</s>The exact nature of the assassination is still unclear, but multiple, unverified reports have emerged of an explosion in Tolstykh’s office. Insurgents have already blamed his death on Ukrainian operatives.

Thirty-six-year-old Mikhail Tolstykh, better known by his nom-de-guerre Givi, was reportedly killed on Wednesday morning.

A prominent pro-Russian guerilla commander has been assassinated in the self-proclaimed Donetsk People’s Republic, according to local officials.

Tolstykh was one of the most renowned — and reviled — field commanders in the bloody conflict between Ukraine and pro-Russian separatists. Tolstykh was a local Donetsk native and served in the Ukrainian army prior to the conflict as a tank commander.

In the spring of 2014, he joined the rebel forces and led a guerrilla battalion codenamed “Somali”. His unit took part in many of the fiercest battles in the Ukrainian conflict, including the siege of the Donetsk airport. Tolstykh was also accused of mistreating Ukrainian prisoners and was sanctioned by the European Union.

Tolstykh’s assassination follows a string of high-profile deaths in the ranks of separatist commanders, all of which have been blamed on Ukrainian sabotage attacks or internal conflicts.

Last October, Tolstykh’s comrade-in-arms, Russian insurgent leader Arseny Pavlov — also better known by his monicker “Motorola” — was killed by an explosion in an elevator in his home in Donetsk.</s>Mikhail Tolstykh, more widely known by his nickname Givi, died in a blast near the city of Donetsk in what separatist rebel media called a “terrorist act.”</s>KYIV -- A separatist commander in the eastern Ukrainian region of Donetsk has been assassinated, the Russia-backed separatists say.

Mikhail Tolstykh, better known by his nom de guerre Givi, died after a bomb exploded in his office in the separatist stronghold of Donetsk just after 6 a.m. local time on February 8, de facto separatist authorities and a source with ties to its military told RFE/RL by phone.

Donetsk separatists have called the killing "a continuation of the terrorist war launched by the Kyiv authorities" against the residents of eastern Ukraine, according to Russia's RIA Novosti news agency. They said an investigative team was working at the bomb site.

Givi was leading the Somali battalion and made a name for himself in the brutal battle for Donetsk airport.

Video footage from 2015 shows him verbally and physically abusing Ukrainian servicemen captured during the battle.

Another separatist commander -- Arseny Pavlov, who was better known by the nickname Motorola -- died on October 16 when a bomb exploded in an elevator in his apartment block in Donetsk.

Fighting between Ukrainian government forces and Russia-backed separatists has killed more than 9,750 people in eastern Ukraine since April 2014.</s>KIEV, Ukraine—A notorious commander of Russian-backed rebels was killed in an explosion in his office early Wednesday, rebel officials said, the latest insurgent leader to mysteriously perish far from the front lines of the simmering conflict.

Mikhail Tolstykh, more widely known by his nickname Givi, was killed in a “terrorist act” shortly after 6 a.m. in the eastern Ukrainian city of Donetsk, the de facto separatist capital near...</s>A pro-Russian warlord who gained infamy for abusing Ukrainian prisoners of war has been assassinated in Donetsk.

Mikhail Tolstykh, who went by the nom-de-guerre Givi, was reportedly killed by an explosion in his office on Wednesday morning (8 February), in what pro-Russian insurgents have blamed on Ukrainian operatives.

The rebels' Donetsk News Agency said a rocket was fired from a portable launcher into his office. Russian state television showed footage of firefighters putting out flames at the building said to be his headquarters.

Tolstykh, 35, was from Donetsk and before the conflict served as a tank commander in the Ukrainian army before he joined the rebel forces. He eventually became a commander in the so-called Donetsk People's Republic (DPR).

His guerrilla battalion, named Somali, participated in fierce battles including the siege of Donetsk airport. He became infamous for mocking wounded Ukrainian prisoners in 2015 and faced sanctions from the European Union for mistreatment of prisoners of war. The news outlet 112 reported that he had his arm amputated recently after an injury he had suffered in action.

A number of separatist commanders have died recently, which has been blamed on Ukrainian attacks. Kiev has refused to negotiate with such warlords whom it regards as terrorists.

The Moscow Times reported that there are also conspiracy theories that commanders who have become too independent are being killed at Moscow's behest. An explosion in an elevator killed the insurgent leader Arseny Pavlov, also known as Motorola, in October 2016. Earlier in the year, the commander Alexei Mozgovoi was bombed.

The Associated Press reported that now the rebel-controlled parts of the Donbass have come to be controlled by bureaucrats with links to the ousted pro-Russian President Viktor Yanukovych, who are thought to be more open to striking a deal with Kiev.

It follows a spike of violence, which saw at least 27 people killed after a week of violence in Avdiivka, which borders Donetsk.

The principal deputy chief monitor for the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE), Alexander Hug, said that the heavy weapons moved into the area, against the Minsk agreement, had increased tensions in the region.

"At the moment the sides are holding down fire but the root cause of the presence of heavy weapons and the close proximity has not been dealt with and this leads to permanent fighting and the fighting affects the civilian areas here significantly," he told ITV News.</s>A military chief of the self-declared Donetsk People's Republic, Mikhail Tolstykh, was killed, local authorities said (AFP Photo/Dominique FAGET)

Donetsk (Ukraine) (AFP) - A military chief of a self-proclaimed Russian-backed republic in eastern Ukraine was killed in an "act of terror" Wednesday, the latest victim of a string of similar attacks, local authorities said.

The dead man was Mikhail Tolstykh, 36, head of the notorious "Somali" battalion and a leading commander of the self-declared Donetsk People's Republic, the rebels' spokesman told AFP.

"There has been an act of terror and Givi was killed," Eduard Basurin said, using the nom de guerre which Tolstykh was better known by.

He blamed Ukrainian security services but declined to provide more details. Local reports said Tolstykh's office was blasted by a flamethrower.

Rebel chief Alexander Zakharchenko accused the Ukrainian military of conducting the attack.

"The Ukrainians... can not defeat us on the battlefield, so they kill us in a malicious way," he said.

Kiev's SBU security service however denied that it was responsible, instead suspecting an internal operation to clear the rebel ranks.

"People tied to illegal armed groups are purged by special agencies beyond the line of contact," an advisor the the SBU chief, Yuriy Tandit, told the 112 Ukrainian channel.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov called the killing "an attempt to destabilise the situation" in eastern Ukraine and also denied that Russia was in any way involved in it.

Rebel officials announced two days of mourning after Tolstykh's death.

In October, another well-known Donetsk military chief, Arseny Pavlov, was killed in a bomb attack.

Several rebel commanders considered to be adversaries of the separatist authorities have been killed in car bombings and ambushes far from the scene of the fighting in eastern Ukraine.

Tolstykh took part in major battles with Ukrainian government forces in a conflict that has been going on for 33 months despite Western efforts to forge a truce.

Born in eastern Ukraine, he served in the army as a tank commander and later worked various manual jobs before he joined the rebel cause, where he also started off as a driver for another commander.

He and Pavlov, who was better known as "Motorola", had been the most recognised faces among the rebels during the worst of the fighting, starring in viral video clips from the combat zone and interviewed often by state channels.

Russia's state-owned Rossiya24 channel heavily covered his killing Wednesday, airing archived portraits and showing the charred building and an office gutted by an apparent fire.

Some 10,000 people have been killed since Ukraine's mostly Russian-speaking eastern industrial regions revolted against Kiev's pro-Western government in April 2014.

Kiev and the West have accused Russia of supporting the rebels and deploying troops across the border, claims that Moscow denies.</s>DONETSK, Ukraine: The military chief of a self-proclaimed Russian-backed republic in eastern Ukraine was killed in an “act of terror” Wednesday, the latest victim of a string of similar attacks, local authorities said.



The dead man was Mikhail Tolstykh, head of the notorious “Somali” battalion and a leading commander of the self-declared Donetsk People’s Republic, the rebels’ spokesman told AFP.

“There has been an act of terror and Givi was killed,” Eduard Basurin said, using the nom de guerre which Tolstykh was better known by.

He declined to provide more details but local reports said there was an explosion in his office at the battalion’s base.

In October, another powerful Donetsk military chief, Arseny Pavlov, was killed in a bomb attack.

Several rebel chiefs considered to be adversaries of the separatist authorities have been killed in car bombings and ambushes far from the scene of the fighting in eastern Ukraine.

Tolstykh took part in major battles with Ukrainian government forces in a conflict that has been going on for 33 months despite Western efforts to forge a truce.

He and Pavlov, who was better known as “Motorola”, had been the most recognised faces among the rebels during the worst of the fighting, starring in viral video clips from the combat zone.

Some 10,000 people have been killed since Ukraine’s mostly Russian-speaking eastern industrial regions revolted against Kiev’s pro-Western government in April 2014.

Kiev and the West have accused Russia of supporting the rebels and deploying troops across the border, claims that Moscow denies.</s>Separatist rebels in eastern Ukraine say one of their most prominent leaders has been assassinated, but several Russian media outlets say Mikhail Tolstykh died in an explosion in his office.

Early Wednesday morning, Russian state television showed pictures of firefighters putting out flames in the building where the 35-year-old Toltsykh's headquarters is believed to be. The footage from the scene showed several rooms in the building gutted from an apparent explosion.
• 'What kind of life is this?': Renewed fighting in eastern Ukraine leaves residents shell-shocked

The rebels' Donets News Agency said Tolstykh, better known under his nom de guerre Givi, died in what it described as a terrorist attack.

Yuri Tandit, an adviser to the chairman of the Ukrainian Security Service in Kyiv, said on the 112 television channel that his agency was looking into the reports.

Tolstykh was one of the most recognizable faces in the conflict between Ukrainian government troops and Russia-backed rebels which has claimed more than 9,800 lives since it began in 2014. Tolstykh's death follows the death of his close associate Arsen Pavlov, also known as Motorola, last year.

Killings of high-profile commanders in Ukraine's Donbass began in May 2015 with the bombing of the charismatic Alexei Mozgovoi. Rank-and-file separatists and local residents reported an increased Russian influence in the area in the summer of 2015 as Moscow was apparently trying to rein in the warlords, some of whom seemingly got out of hand with murder and violence targeting civilians.

The very existence of unruly commanders like Givi bolstered the Ukrainian government's long-standing refusal to negotiate with what it regarded as terrorists.

Givi and other warlords who have been killed in the past two years have publicly assaulted prisoners of war and been engaged in what can be classified as war crimes.

While the unruly commanders were dying in car bombings, the leadership of the rebel-controlled parts of the Donetsk and Luhansk regions came to be dominated by bureaucrats with ties to ousted pro-Russian President Viktor Yanukovych, a Donbass native, rather than the commanders who led the uprising. Unlike the assassinated warlords, the Donetsk bureaucrats are seen as less extreme and more inclined to bargain with Kyiv.
Donetsk People's Republic commander Mikhail Tolstykh, better known by his nom de guerre "Givi", is killed in a bomb blast in Makiivka, Donetsk Oblast. DPR officials blame the Security Service of Ukraine for the attack.