KIEV--Aleksey Mozgovoi, a top rebel commander in east Ukraine, has been killed along with around six others in an attack by an unknown group of assailants, the press service for the separatist Luhansk territory (LITs) reported on Saturday.
Mozgovoi, the leader of the rebel "Ghost" battalion, died after the car he was travelling in was blown up by an "explosive device and then fired on with machine guns," rebel official Sergei Gorenko was quoted as saying in a briefing in Luhansk.
"At the moment, one theory is that it was the work of a raiding group," he said without giving further details or naming the others killed in the attack near the rebel-controlled town of Alchevsk, about 30 km (18.6 miles) east of the frontline.
There have been repeated attempts on Mozgovoi's life, most recently in March, LITs reported.
REUTERS
