Ukraine assassinates Russian lieutenant colonel far from front lines, intelligence claims
A Russian National Guard senior officer and two other service members were killed in a Ukrainian intelligence operation in the North Caucasus on Sept. 27, Ukraine's military intelligence (HUR) said.
The lieutenant colonel, his aide, and a driver were killed near the village of Tambukan in Russia's Stavropol Krai while traveling to a training ground, the agency revealed on Sept. 30.
HUR released footage of the Russian officer being watched from afar, and a subsequent explosion hitting his moving vehicle.
Ukraine's intelligence and security services have been linked to a number of assassinations targeting Russian military officers far from the front lines since the start of the full-scale invasion in 2022.
The assassinated officer was identified as the commander of the Avangard unit of Russia's National Guard, tasked with maintaining public order and combating "terrorism" and "illegal armed groups."
The operation was carried out with the support of a group called the "Caucasus Liberation Movement," HUR said, without providing additional details.
The Kyiv Independent was unable to verify the claims.
Tambukan lies in southwestern Russia, some 80 kilometers (50 miles) north of the Georgian border and about 650 kilometers (400 miles) from the front lines in Ukraine.
The North Caucasus is one of Russia's most volatile regions, with a long history of insurgency, radicalism, and ethnic tensions.
