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igor strelkov

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Igor Girkin, the military leader of pro-Russian rebels in the eastern Ukrainian city of Donetsk, also known as Igor Ivanovich Strelkov, has resigned.

Alexander Borodai, the former PM of the self-declared Donetsk People’s Republic, confirmed the news but denied reports Igor Strelkov had been wounded.

There has been heavy shelling both in Donetsk and Luhansk as Ukrainian forces battle the separatists.

The news came with a disputed Russian aid convoy stationed near the border.

Alexander Borodai confirmed Igor Strelkov’s departure to Russian media but gave no reason.

He said reports that Igor Strelkov, a Russian citizen, had been injured were “total rubbish”.

“You probably already know that he, like myself, has left his post,” Alexander Borodai said in a video posted by Russia’s pro-Kremlin Life News website.

Igor Girkin, the military leader of pro-Russian rebels in the eastern Ukrainian city of Donetsk, also known as Igor Ivanovich Strelkov, has resigned.

Igor Girkin, the military leader of pro-Russian rebels in the eastern Ukrainian city of Donetsk, also known as Igor Ivanovich Strelkov, has resigned (photo Reuters)

“The [Donetsk People’s Republic] already has a new defense minister.”

Alexander Borodai said the new minister went by the nom de guerre Tsar. His name was given by other sources as Vladimir Kononov.

There have been two other high-profile resignations of rebel leaders in the past week.

Alexander Borodai handed over to Alexander Zakharchenko as “prime minister” in Donetsk and the rebel chief in Luhansk, Valery Bolotov, said he was temporarily handing over to his defense minister, Igor Plotnitskiy.

The Russian aid convoy of at least 260 trucks, which moved towards the border on Thursday, has now halted.

There is continuing confusion over the final destination.

Russia has dismissed as absurd claims that its convoy is a pretext to send military supplies to the rebels.

However, Ukraine has said the Russian convoy must be inspected by international monitors before it can be let in.

Andriy Lysenko, a spokesman for Ukraine’s National Security and Defense Council, said that if this did not happen, “movement of the convoy will be blocked with all the forces available”.

Artillery fire could be heard all around Donetsk on Thursday, with the authorities urging people to stay off the streets.

Two shopping centers were reportedly hit and at least one person killed.

The situation was reported to be desperate in Luhansk, where civilians have been short of water, food and electricity for more than a week. Phone lines are also down as shelling continues.

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Pro-Russian rebels in eastern Ukraine rebels have pulled back to the main city of Donetsk, abandoning several strongholds in the Donetsk region to government forces.

Separatists abandoned the cities of Sloviansk and Kramatorsk, as well as some smaller towns, in the north of Donetsk region.

However, they have vowed to continue the fight from Donetsk city, describing the withdrawal as a tactical retreat.

Ukrainian forces launched an offensive this week after a truce broke down.

Ukrainian rebels abandoned several strongholds in the Donetsk region to government forces

Ukrainian rebels abandoned several strongholds in the Donetsk region to government forces

The government said in a statement that the rebels had fled after mortar shelling from government forces.

Ukraine’s newly-elected President Petro Poroshenko said the breakthrough was “the beginning of the turning point in the fight against militants”.

“This is not complete victory. But the cleansing of Sloviansk from gangs who are armed to the teeth is of huge symbolic importance,” he said in a statement.

Some rebels were initially quoted as saying they were heading to the nearby city of Kramatorsk.

It later emerged that the pro-Russian fighters had also abandoned their posts there, and were apparently heading south to the regional capital.

Alexander Borodai, prime minister of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR), said the rebels had abandoned the entire “northern sector”.

The pro-Russian authorities in Donetsk city said rebel fighters had begun to arrive from the north, and urged residents to stay in their homes.

Rebel leaders were quoted as saying the decision to abandon Sloviansk was taken by Igor Strelkov, the military commander of the DPR.

Igor Strelkov, whose real name is Igor Girkin, had pleaded for Russian intervention on Friday saying his men had lost the will to fight.

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