Ukraine’s breakaway territories appear to have settled on who is to lead them, but little is known about either self-proclaimed separatist leader.

Minsk Protocol Discussions with Zakharchenko (far-left) and Plotnitsky (mid-right) (Lehtikuva/AFP)

by Devin Ackles, Hromadske International

produced by Maxim Eristavi

What You Need To Know:

✓ The Donetsk and Luhansk People’s Republics ‘elected’ their new official leaders in November

✓ The new leadership will likely try to negotiate with Kyiv, as Russia should be ‘officially’ out of the equation

✓ The new leaders are shadowy figures, though bits and pieces have turned up about them

✓ The rise of both leaders is part of a larger, more pervasive system throughout the region

Click for our multimedia explainer:

A Guide to Warlords of the Ukraine ‘Separatist Republics’

Our Guide to the Warlords of Ukraine’s ‘Separatist Republics’ https://t.co/uDqxTCZ8ue pic.twitter.com/zF6mhlsnkE

— Hromadske (@Hromadske) November 14, 2014