A local collaborator Oleksandr Mishchenko was killed in an explosion in the Russian-occupied city of Melitopol, Zaporizhzhia Oblast, exiled Mayor Ivan Fedorov reported on April 27.
According to the mayor, before Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Mishchenko headed a police department in Melitopol.
"After the occupation, he not only defected to the enemy but also tricked his employees into becoming traitors," said Fedorov.
The explosion reportedly occurred in the early morning in the central part of Melitopol. Mishchenko died in the hospital following the incident, according to Fedorov, who is now in Ukrainian-controlled territory and reports based on sources in Melitopol.
Vladimir Rogov, a member of the illegal occupation administration in Ukraine's Zaporizhzhia Oblast, also reported the explosion, saying that two "police officers" had been injured, one of whom later died.
Explosions occur regularly in Meltipol and other Russian-occupied cities of Ukraine where partisan movement is active, targeting local collaborators or destroying Russian military equipment and personnel. Moscow usually blames Ukraine for such incidents, while Kyiv doesn't take responsibility for the explosions.
Melitopol, a city with a population of about 150,000 people, has been occupied since late February 2022. The city serves as a railway center for Russian forces in southern Ukraine and is part of the land bridge that links Russia to the occupied Crimean peninsula.
Alexander Query
(Updated: )
