akhmetov has denied claims made by pavel gubarev (self-proclaimed "people's governor" of the donetsk people's republic) in an interview published in the russian state-controlled newspaper rossiyskaya gazeta on 12 may 2014. according to gubarev, akhmetov has financed the separatist movement in the region, and that the separatists "all took money" from akhmetov and others, saying that "as it turned out, two-thirds of the activists were supported by the oligarch akhmetov". on 10 may 2014, akhmetov's metinvest company announced it would be forming an unarmed militia of steelworker employees to stop looting by separatists and criminals in the city of mariupol. in a 19 may (2014) breaking news message on ukrayina tv akhmetov claimed the representative "of this donetsk people's republic" were committing "genocide of donbass". at his initiative the next day a so-called peace march was held in the stadium donbass arena in donetsk accompanied by cars beeping their horns at noon. akhmetov has vowed that "siren [will be] ringing every day at noon across all of donbas until peace is established".