A notorious Russian warlord who led a Neo-Nazi group of soldiers was killed in battle over the weekend.
Vladimir Zhoga, who led the Sparta Battalion, was killed while fighting in the Ukrainian town of Volnovakha on Saturday.
The group, which has been accused of committing war crimes, is among the fiercest to fight with the Russian army and was formed in the breakaway Ukrainian territory of Donetsk during the 2014 conflict.
Denis Pushilin, who leads Donetsk, confirmed the kill on his Telegram channel.
"Today, the commander of the Sparta separate reconnaissance battalion, Guards Col. Vladimir Zhoga (nom de guerre Vokha), died like a hero in Volnovakha," he wrote.
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It was announced last night that Vladimir Putin signed an executive order awarding Zhoga the "title of hero of the Russian federation".
Pushilin said that the commander was killed during an operation to evacuate civilians from Volnovakha.
A ceasefire was brokered for citizens to flee Volnovakha on Saturday morning, only for the Russians to violate it with shell attacks as people attempted to leave.
Russian troops were filmed entering the town over the weekend, although it is understood Ukrainian forces still hold the centre.
Before his death Zhoga had been one of the most widely known and feared fighters in the Russian army.
He joined Russian-backed rebels in 2014 - the same year in which the Sparta Battalion, a Neo-Nazi militia that has the support of Moscow, was created.
In the eight years since the group has been at the forefront of the separatist war in Donbass.
Its former leader, Arsen Pavlov, known as Motorola, was accused of war crimes in Kyiv and died when he was blown up an explosive device in 2016.
Mystery still surrounds his death, with some suggesting Russian special forces had Pavlov killed due to concerns about his reputation and the hold he had over the independent fighting unit.
Pavlov had been accused of killing Ukrainian prisoners of war.
Zhoga's death is another major blow for Putin after he lost two top military chiefs this week.
Lieutenant General Serhiy Shaptala said the defending forces had seized Chuhuiv from Russian control and killed large numbers of Putin's men.
Two high-ranking Russian commanders were killed in the battle.
Lieutenant Shaptala also gave an update on the number of losses suffered by the invading forces - numbers far higher than those offered by the Russians last week.
He said that more than 11,000 Russian soldiers had died and 290 tanks destroyed in the course of the invasion.
Forty-six planes and 68 helicopters had been downed, the army chief said.
