On August 31, 2018, the head of the Donetsk People’s Republic, Alexander Zakharchenko, was killed in an explosion at the “Separ” café in central Donetsk. The explosion was carried out using a shell-less explosive device planted above the entrance to the café. Alongside Zakharchenko, one of his bodyguards, Vyacheslav Dotsenko, was also killed, and 11 others were injured. The DPR authorities labeled the incident a terrorist attack orchestrated by Ukrainian officials. Following Zakharchenko’s death, Dmitry Trapeznikov was appointed acting head of the DPR, and on September 7, 2018, Denis Pushilin assumed the role.
RIA Novosti reported on possible organizers and perpetrators, as well as the aftermath of the assassination: “Pushilin emphasized that ‘Donetsk will avenge this crime’.”
TASS covered the terrorist attack that took the life of the republic’s first leader, along with details about the mourning period and early reactions: “The explosion occurred at 5:00 p.m. in the 'Separ' restaurant. The bomb was planted inside. A fire broke out in the building. Rescuers and fire trucks were promptly dispatched to the scene. The fire was quickly extinguished. The area around the restaurant was cordoned off.” A separate article featured Zakharchenko’s biography.
Vesti.ru covered Zakharchenko’s role and possible masterminds behind the attack: “Although not all the circumstances surrounding Alexander Zakharchenko’s murder have been fully clarified, the organizers and perpetrators are easily recognizable by their signature. Over the past three years, several officials and field commanders have been killed in similar attacks in the Donetsk and Lugansk republics. In every case, the traces of these terrorist acts led to Kyiv.”
RT Russian published Putin’s reaction to the killing: “The vile assassination of Alexander Zakharchenko is further evidence that those who choose the path of terror, violence, and intimidation have no interest in a peaceful, political resolution to the conflict, nor in genuine dialogue with the residents of the southeast. Instead, they are dangerously betting on destabilizing the situation and trying to bring the people of Donbass to their knees. They will not succeed.”
Izvestia ran stories with the headlines: “Donetsk Will Avenge”, “He Didn’t Hide From Anyone”, and “The Donetsk Che Guevara”.
Several sources, including Interfax, confirmed the DPR leader’s death: “According to preliminary data, unfortunately, it’s true. The head of the republic sustained fatal injuries.”
Donetsk News Agency (DAN) published several key reports:
Lugansk Information Center reported the news of Zakharchenko’s death and published a statement by Leonid Pasechnik: “It’s hard to believe in the death of Alexander Zakharchenko. This terrorist act is a stark reminder that in their inhuman, fierce struggle against freedom and independence, terrorists will stop at nothing.”
The Guardian described Zakharchenko as “the latest in a string of separatist leaders to be killed amid the ongoing conflict in eastern Ukraine”: “The leader of the Kremlin-backed separatist republic in war-torn eastern Ukraine was killed in an explosion at a café near his official residence in Donetsk.”
Another British outlet, The Telegraph, did not run a standalone story on the assassination but included it in a news roundup: “The leader of Russian-backed separatists fighting in the Donetsk region of eastern Ukraine was killed in a café explosion on Friday.”
The New York Times suggested that the assassination might be linked to internal rivalries: “Ukrainians claim that Mr. Zakharchenko, a former electrician, held a largely symbolic position under the Russian intelligence services, which control and fund the separatist regions of Donetsk and Luhansk. They connect his death to infighting among rebels or possibly a deliberate assassination by Russia.”
Independent American journalist Andrew Korybko published a piece titled “Donbass: From Assassination to Invasion?”, highlighting tensions in the region: “Eastern Ukraine’s Donbass region is on edge after Alexander Zakharchenko’s assassination, with some fearing the event might prompt Kyiv to re-invade the self-declared republics. However, such an invasion has yet to occur—at least for now.”
Le Figaro called the assassination “sufficient to derail three years of diplomatic efforts to bring political stability to the region.” The paper also provided a brief profile of Zakharchenko and responses from local authorities, Moscow, and Kyiv.
La Repubblica released a short notice: “Alexander Zakharchenko, the leader of the pro-Russian separatist Donetsk republic in eastern Ukraine, was killed in an attack at the ‘Separ’ bar in the city center. The news was confirmed by the self-proclaimed People’s Republic’s administration.”
Naiz, a Basque outlet from a region in Spain known for pro-independence sentiment, reported: “DPR leader Alexander Zakharchenko was killed in an explosion at the ‘Separ’ bar,” citing sources from the pro-independence area of eastern Ukraine.
Polish media tvn24 immediately reported the Ukrainian Security Service’s (SBU) stance on “internal conflicts”: “The Security Service of Ukraine confirmed the news, stating that the field commander fell victim to disputes among pro-Russian militants.”
Ukrainska Pravda wrote: “Militant leader of ORDLO Alexander Zakharchenko was killed in central Donetsk at the ‘Separ’ restaurant.”
UNIAN referred to Zakharchenko’s death as a “liquidation” and published a detailed analytical article titled “Inglourious Bastards”: “The death of the ‘young republic’s’ ringleader Alexander Zakharchenko is no different from the liquidation of other high-profile pro-Russian militants in Donbass. No sooner had he declared a three-day mourning period in the ‘DPR’ for the late Iosif Kobzon, a fervent supporter of ‘self-determination rights’ for Buryat tank crews on Ukrainian soil, than the bell tolled for him as well.”
