You're reading: The Economist: Who the Ukrainian rebels are

The tides of eastern Ukraine's war have shifted again. Following weeks of ceding territory, the Ukrainian rebels dealt Kiev’s force a series of swift counterstrikes. Backed by reinforcements from Russia, the separatists retook several towns near the regional capitals of Donetsk and Luhansk over the past week, and have opened up a third front to the south. The message was clear: we aren't going anywhere. The pro-Western Ukrainian government in Kiev has long asserted that the insurgency is a Russian creation. Despite moving more than 1,000 Russian troops into Ukrainian territory over the past week, the Kremlin calls the war a purely "domestic matter", insisting any Russians that happen to be found fighting are simply "volunteers" or soldiers on holiday. But who exactly are the rebels? 

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