Rebel leader in east Ukraine killed in blast

The official media outlet of Russia-backed separatists in the Donetsk region of eastern Ukraine confirmed rebel leader Alexander Zakharchenko had been killed on Friday.

The 42-year-old was the head of state and prime minister of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People's Republic.  Zakharchenko became leader of the Donetsk Republic in 2014. 

The Donetsk News Agency said in a statement on its website that Zakharchenko had been killed in an explosion at a cafe in central Donetsk, citing the rebel leader's administration. The cafe hit by the explosion was named Separ. 

The separatist-run Donetsk News Agency reported that Zakharchenko died "as a result of a terrorist act." 

Lucy Taylor joined TRT World from Moscow with more information.

Russia's Foreign Ministry said on Friday it had every reason to believe Kiev was responsible for his death, RIA news agency said.

Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said Zakharchenko's death showed that Kiev had decided to engage in a "bloody fight" and had passed up on its promises of seeking peace, RIA reported.

Ukraine's security service said on Friday it believed the death was a result of conflict conflict between the rebels and their Russian sponsors. 

Yelena Gitlyanskaya, a spokeswoman for the Ukraine security service, said "all of the accusations that can be heard from the Russian side are not true."