Russia to call for international probe into Zakharchenko’s murder

Russia will call for an international investigation into the murder of head of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR) Alexander Zakharchenko at the upcoming meeting of the Contact Group in Minsk, Russia’s envoy to the Minsk talks Boris Gryzlov told reporters on Tuesday.

"We will raise the issue of an international investigation into the murder of DPR leader Alexander Zakharchenko at a Contact Group meeting tomorrow," he said. "I believe that this investigation should be as open an impartial as possible involving all participants in the Minsk process."

Gryzlov recalled that the Package of Measures for the Implementation of the Minsk Agreements of February 12, 2015, signed by Alexander Zakharchenko was a document endorsed by the UN Security Council and received international recognition and legitimation.

"I believe it is necessary to use the potential of the Contact Group, which regularly holds its meetings with the OSCE’s involvement, to organize this work (investigation - TASS). OSCE envoys are working in the Contact Group and its subgroups on a regular basis. The OSCE is also represented in the [Donbass] conflict zone," the Russian envoy stressed.

DPR head Alexander Zakharchenko was killed in an explosion in downtown Donetsk on August 31. He was 42 years old. The blast left two people dead and twelve injured, including DPR minister of taxes and duties, Alexander Timofeyev.

The DPR law enforcement agencies have detained several suspects who confirmed Kiev’s involvement. The Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) earlier denied any role in the Donetsk blast.