The road north of Donetsk in eastern Ukraine runs through the heartland of what some already call a “people’s republic”. Pro-Russian gangs have seized control of a string of towns in a landscape of open fields and rolling hills scarred by the derelict hulks of old mines and factories. We journalists have not yet decided what to call the masked figures who occupy public buildings and guard makeshift barricades. “Separatist” is a toxic word in Ukraine, not least because advocating the break-up of the country remains a criminal offence. Even “federalist” carries much the same stigma. So we have taken to calling them “insurgents” if they happen to carry guns – which many do – and “activists” if they are unarmed.The