Complex sentence: On the Russian social network VK, a number of militants involved in Sloviansk conflict were identified: while some were locals from eastern Ukraine, others were involved in'self-defense' groups that annexed Crimea.
Split into simpler sentences: On the Russian social network VK, a number of militants involved in Sloviansk conflict. While some were locals from eastern Ukraine, others were involved in'self-defense' groups that annexed Crimea.