Zakharchenko quoted as saying he's fed up with Minsk ceasefire accords, force him to be traitor. So far nobody in Donetsk has confirmation
— Nikolaus von Twickel (@niktwick) October 8, 2014
DNR press ppl will apparently confirm situation re Zakharchenko's resignation shortly http://t.co/0l61sypls1
— Oliver Carroll (@olliecarroll) October 8, 2014
http://t.co/qKFi5AsQPC Only 5% of Russians blame the separatists or the Kremlin for downing #FlightMH17. 44% blame Kyiv. 23% blame the USA.
— Kevin Rothrock (@KevinRothrock) October 8, 2014
Here is a map of the military situation in eastern Ukraine today, issued by Kyiv's National Security and Defense Council (click map to enlarge):
Great account of terror that ensued in Crimea. Russian journalist goes through known cases of persecution (RUS). http://t.co/Wbs5pwGAWY
— Leonid Ragozin (@leonidragozin) October 8, 2014
Meanwhile, in Russia:
Police in Moscow have detained Pavel Shekhtman, a Russian civil rights activist and Kremlin critic.
Shekhtman's lawyer told the online news site kasparov.ru that his client was detained on October 8 over recent publications in the Internet, but did not give details.
He said Shekhtman was being held in a Moscow pretrial detention center.
Shekhttan is known for his criticism of the Kremlin over rights abuses in Russia.
In March, Shekhtman was attacked by members of a group led by nationalist opposition politician Eduard Limonov over his criticism of Russia's actions in Ukraine.
Russia annexed the Crimea region form Ukraine in March, and Kyiv and the West say Moscow has sent troops and weapons to help pro-Russian separatists in eastern Ukraine.
(kasparov.ru, grani.ru)
A grim report from #Luhansk, city that suffered the most during #Ukraine military conflict http://t.co/gl8MTOhK3a
— Olga Tokariuk (@olgatokariuk) October 8, 2014
#Ukrainian FM @PavloKlimkin is meeting w/newly appointed @NATO Secretary General @jensstoltenberg via @MFA_Ukraine pic.twitter.com/k6AbU0X4Fz
— Volodymyr Solohub (@v_solohub) October 8, 2014
Has he, hasn't he resigned? DNR s Zakharchenko now due to give press conference at 6pm local time. No one really knows what is going on
— Oliver Carroll (@olliecarroll) October 8, 2014
Here are a few more details from our news desk about the pro-Ukraine protest in Prague earlier:
Two Czech men have staged a protest against the government's policies toward Russia by stripping to the waist at a government press conference and calling on Prime Minister Bohuslav Sobotka to "show courage" against Russian President Vladimir Putin.
The protesters stood up as Sobotka was leaving an October 8 press conference in Prague, taking off their shirts to reveal painted messages that said: "Don’t be with Putin" and "Protect Freedom."
They also distributed leaflets saying "Ukraine needs help" and calling on Sobotka not to "collaborate" with lobbyists from Czech firms that do business with Russia.
The leaflets said Sobotka has "thrown Ukraine overboard in the same way that Western politicians did in 1938 when they betrayed our country," a reference to the appeasement policies of Britain's then-Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain toward Nazi Germany.
(With reporting by Idnes.cz)