Rebel government minister hurt in car bomb attack

A finance minister for the breakaway republic of Donetsk was wounded in a car bombing, according to an official Russian language news account.

Alexander Timofeev, Donetsk People's Republic minister of finance, was in a car when a bomb was detonated Saturday morning.

According to a news account in Sputnik, there were two explosions. Timofeev was listed a in critical condition.

According to RIA Novosti, Timofeev suffered head injuries in the attack.

Russian military journalist said that Timofeev was not hurt in the explosion.  In his blog post he hinted that the attempt on Timofeev was an internal conflict. He also said that August's attempt on Plotnitsky was also an internal matter. He also said that a rumor circulating in Donetsk was the Zakharchenko was on his way out and that Timoffev was suggested as a possible replacement.

According to lb.ua, Timofeev was commander of the rebel combat formation Oplot, which fought at the Donetsk airport until it fell into rebel hands in February, 2015

Two other bombing attempts on rebel officials were made in August, according to Sputnik. A bomb was found near the personal residence of Donetsk president Aleksandr Zakharcheko.

Another assassination attempt earlier in August was made on Lugansk president Igor Plotnitsky. In that incident,a roadside bomb was detonated, resulting in mild injuries

Both republics' officials are likely to be under increased pressure with the news a week ago that Russian Federation humanitarian would end in the 2018 Russian fiscal year.

Russian military journalist Boris Rozhin said that Timofeev was not hurt in the explosion.  In his blog post, he hinted that the attempt on Timofeev was an internal government conflict gone hot.  He said first, however, that the possibility that Ukrainian aligned groups were responsible for the attack as the most likely explanation.

He also said that August's attempt on Plotnitsky was also an internal matter. He also said that a rumor circulating in Donetsk was that Timofeev was suggested as a possible second in command for Zakharchenko.

Russia to cut funds for Donetsk, Lugansk

The Russian 2018 federal budget does not include money for humanitarian aid for the separatist states of Donetsk and Lugansk, according to a Russian language news account.

According to an article that appeared in regnum.ru, during a September 1st meeting with deputy prime minister Dmitry Kozak it was announced that the money normally used for aiding the breakaway republic, 165 million rubles (USD $2,864,584.80), will be shifted to Crimea and to Kalinigrad.

An additional 85 million rubles (USD $1,475,695.20) are to be spent on infrastructure projects in Crimea. Other monies are to be spent in Kaliningrad include for a fiber optic data cable and a new ferry line.

The article goes on to state that, thus far, the meeting was held to flesh out proposals; that all of the line items are proposals. Press requests to one of Russian president Vladimir Putin's aides, Dmitry Peskov and another to the finance ministry have so far been left unanswered.

Both Lugansk and Donetsk have been recipients of Russian financial aide in paying for pensions of local residents that Ukraine has refused to pay. How this shifting of money will affect the pensioners is left unstated.

If the proposals come to fruition, it appears to be a clear signal to the West that Russia is ready to abandon its support of the two republics to their fate at the Minsk negotiating table.

A recent proposal from Putin to use UN peacekeeping troops in the region has been met with approval from the civil leadership of Lugansk and Donetsk, an idea soundly rejected by Ukraine. Despite the lack of news and the relative calm in the region, both sides routinely take pot shots at one another daily, and both sides are causing casualties.