Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent

Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.

Ukraine crisis: Rebels in Donetsk say discipline is good after they carried out executions to 'prevent chaos'

 

Hannah Somerville
Saturday 02 August 2014 21:58 BST
Comments
A rebel spokesman says there have been ‘several’ executions
A rebel spokesman says there have been ‘several’ executions (AP)

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

Rebels fighting in the bloody conflict in eastern Ukraine are reported to have carried out executions to "prevent chaos".

Igor Druz, an adviser to the pro-Russian separatist military commander, Igor Strelkov, and a spokesman for rebel-held territories in the Donetsk region, told the BBC that on "several occasions" extrajudicial killings had been performed "by shooting".

"As a result, our troops, the ones who have pulled out of Slovyansk, are highly disciplined," he reportedly added. The fighting in eastern Ukraine has claimed more than 1,500 lives since April, when rebels declared independence from Kiev. For almost two weeks it prevented investigators reaching the crash site of the Malaysia Airlines jet near Donetsk.

Forensic experts from the Netherlands and Australia finally reached the crash site on Thursday. Yesterday, they continued to carry out investigations at the site, also recovering body parts and victims' belongings.

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in