Charity donation websites, often used to support victims of violence, are being employed by a number of Westerners to finance their personal war efforts.

Fighting continues in eastern Ukraine, as pro-Russian separatists battle Ukrainian government forces.

More than 10,000 people have died since the conflict erupted in April 2014, and recently a rebel leader declared a state called "Malorossiya" (Little Russia) in Donetsk.

Among the separatists are a number of Westerners, drawn to the country by the conflict and financing their adventures using charity crowdfunding websites - sometimes in apparent violation of website rules and Ukrainian laws.

One of the most prominent is Russell Bentley, a Texas native who describes himself as a pro-Russian communist.

When the conflict started, Bentley was working as an ordinary lumberjack in Austin.

Yet by December 2014 he had reached the epicentre of the conflict - armed with a rocket propelled grenade launcher and tasked with repelling Ukrainian forces at Donetsk airport, a key strategic position.

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