"On November 11, 2016, during an investigative operation the DPR State Security Ministry detained six activists of the Ukrainian nationalist organization Misanthropic Division, which leaders had earlier claimed responsibility for the murder of the legendary commander of the Sparta militia detachment, Arsen Pavlov, known by his nickname of Motorola," the ministry said in a statement.

DONETSK, November 12. /TASS/. The State Security Ministry of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR) has arrested suspects for the murder of Arsen Pavlov, the DPR militia commander known as Motorola, the Donetsk news agency said on Saturday, citing the ministry’s press service.

The DPR State Security Ministry says that the Misanthropic Division activists maintained contacts with staff officers of Ukraine’s Security Service (SBU) and were performing the SBU tasks in the DPR. The detainees were making confessions about the role they played in terrorist and extremist crimes.

"The republic’s State Security Ministry is documenting the role of each suspects in the criminal activities, including attempts to destabilize the situation in the DPR and LPR (the self-proclaimed Lugansk People’s Republic), at the order of SBU First Deputy Chairman Col Gen Vitaly Malikov, head of the anti-terrorism center, and the head of SBU Donetsk regional department, Aleksander Kuts," the ministry said.

On November 10, DPR head Aleksander Zakharchenko said that Kuts and supervisor of the Ukrainian subversive groups active in Donbass Vitaly Malikov, as well as other high-ranking security officials at the security service joint staff were involved in Pavlov’s murder.

Arsen Pavlov was killed on October 16 in a blast that tore through the entrance to his apartment building in Donetsk.