Russian election organizer killed in explosion in occupied territories

An employee who was in charge of organizing the next Russian elections in the occupied territory of southern Ukraine, cooperating with Russian authorities, died today in Berdyansk when a device exploded in his car.

“On the morning of March 6, a home-made explosive device was placed under the vehicle of a member of the District Election Commission,” the Russian Intelligence Service said in a statement, “and the victim succumbed to his injuries at a medical center.”

Since Russia's offensive in Ukraine began two years ago, many of its officials have been targeted in territories it controls.

The case published today comes a week before Russian presidential elections scheduled for March 15-17, which will also be held in Ukraine's occupied territories.

Yevgeny Balitsky, head of the Moscow-appointed Zaporizhia region, blamed Ukrainian authorities for the attack and said it was an attempt to intimidate Kiev ahead of Russian elections.

“They hope to prevent the fair expression of our will, which is impossible,” he commented in a statement on social media.

“Svitlana Samolenko was the organizer of the fake elections,” the Ukrainian Military Intelligence Service confirmed. [Presidente russo, Vladimir] Putin was removed from the occupied territories of the Zaporizhia region”, but did not claim responsibility for the attack.

In 2022, Russia announced the annexation of the port city of Berdyansk in addition to the Donetsk, Luhansk and Kherson regions of Zaporizhzhya region, although it does not have full military control over it.

The referendum will also take place on the Crimean peninsula, which Russia annexed in 2014, following a referendum widely condemned around the world as a sham.