DONETSK, Ukraine, Oct. 13 (UPI) -- Ukrainian pro-separatist political leader Pavel Gubarev's car was fired upon and the resulting crash left him hospitalized and unconscious.
Russian media reported Gubarev, who led the occupation of a Donetesk government building in February by a mob of hundreds who declared the "Donetsk People's Republic," with Gubarev as governor, was traveling from Ukraine to the Russian city of Rostov when his car was struck with bullets, causing it to crash into a pillar.
Others in the vehicle were not injured, and Gubarev's wife Yekatarina told Russia's Tass news agency he was not struck by the gunfire. It was not clear who fired at the car, or the extent of Gubarev's injuries. His Facebook posting, prior to the incident, said he was about to make "a very important statement."
Last week his political party was disqualified from participation in the "People's Republic of Donetsk" presidential elections; Gubarev has been involved recently in a power struggle within his party.
The ambush comes days before Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko and Russian President Vladimir Putin meet in Milan to discuss the Ukraine crisis. A ceasefire between Ukrainian troops and the separatists in eastern Ukraine, agreed upon Sept. 5, is holding, although sporadic clashes have been reported.
