You may also like to watch : Who Is Kamala Harris? Biography - Parents - Husband - Sister - Career - Indian - Jamaican Heritage

Ukrainian emergency workers examine the site of the Russian rocket attack in central Odesa, Ukraine, in the early hours of Monday, November 6, 2023.

Photo: AP

You may also like to watch: Is US-NATO Prepared For A Potential Nuclear War With Russia - China And North Korea?

Kyiv: Russia-Backed Politician Killed in Eastern Ukraine

A Russia-backed politician, Mikhail Filiponenko, was reportedly assassinated in the eastern Ukrainian region of Lugansk on Wednesday. Filiponenko, who served as the deputy of the People’s Council, was killed in a car explosion. Ukrainian authorities have claimed responsibility for the attack.

“As a result of an explosive device that detonated in Mikhail Filiponenko’s vehicle, the People’s Council deputy was fatally wounded,” stated the deceased’s son to the Lugansk Information Centre. Filiponenko, a former head of the Lugansk local militia, was known for his affiliation with Russia.

The Ukrainian military intelligence directorate released a statement acknowledging their involvement in the operation. It mentioned that they had conducted a “special operation to eliminate” Filiponenko, in collaboration with representatives of the resistance movement.

The People’s Council, which serves as the local parliament of Lugansk, is situated in one of the disputed regions of Ukraine. Although Russia claims to have annexed the area, it does not have complete military control over it.

Last month, Oleg Tsaryov, a pro-Kremlin politician, narrowly escaped an assassination attempt at his hotel complex in Crimea. Tsaryov was allegedly being groomed to lead a puppet government in Kyiv.

Russia has consistently blamed Ukrainian secret services for targeting pro-Kremlin leaders, citing incidents like the car bombing of nationalist Darya Dugina outside Moscow last year.

Since February of the previous year, Russia has been engaged in a military operation in Ukraine, which has resulted in a protracted conflict between the two nations.