|
 Alexander Zakharchenko, who was elected in a rogue vote on Sunday
that was denounced as a "farce" by Kiev and illegitimate by the
West, took the oath to "honestly serve the interests of the people
of the Donetsk People's Republic and conscientiously fulfill my
duties."
Before the ceremony, which took place in a drama theater in Donetsk,
a big industrial city and the separatists' stronghold, another
separatist figure, Andrei Purgin, said: "We are starting a history
with this inauguration and what happens today will be repeated. We
are laying down the traditions of the Republic."
Kiev's pro-Western leaders fear that a new "frozen conflict" could
now be created in its eastern regions and further threaten the
territorial unity of Ukraine, which lost control of its Crimean
peninsula in March when it was annexed by Russia.
(Reporting by Thomas Grove; Writing By Richard Balmforth; editing by
Anna Willard)
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