Bomb which killed Zakharchenko was concealed in chandelier
The explosive device in the Separ restaurant in Donetsk which killed Alexander Zakharchenko, leader of the self-declared Donetsk People’s Republic, was hidden in a chandelier or floor lamp, according to provisional information, reported the Russian news outlet Kommersant, with reference to its own sources.
The bomb was apparently cellphone-activated. It is unlikely that it could have been planted without help from Zakharchenko’s “own people”, since the restaurant belonged to his chief of security and was frequently visited by high-ranking guests, and was thus closely guarded.
Donetsk law enforcement authorities are looking for accomplices among Zakharchenko’s close circle. Whoever detonated the bomb must have been near to the restaurant to see when Zakharchenko arrived. The moment the DPR leader entered the building, the perpetrator made the activating phone call.
Zakharchenko was taken to hospital, where he soon died from a critical head wound, former DPR Defense Minister Igor Strelkov told the newspaper. The separatist leader went to the café to commemorate Joseph Kobzon.