This article was originally published by Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty and is reprinted with permission.
Reports about the assassination of two Moscow-appointed officials in the Russian-occupied Ukrainian city of Nova Kakhovka in the Kherson region have turned out to be ploys by Russian security authorities to foil what they claim were planned attacks.
The Russian-imposed deputy mayor of Nova Kakhovka, Vitaliy Hura, and the city’s de facto deputy police chief, Serhiy Tomko, said in a televised interview with Russia’s Channel One television channel on September 12 that their “assassinations” had been staged by the Federal Security Service (FSB) “to prevent real assassinations planned by the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU).”
The SBU has not commented on the matter.
Since Russia launched its ongoing unprovoked invasion of Ukraine in late February, several Russian-imposed officials in Ukrainian territories occupied by Russian armed forces have been attacked, including some reports of assassinations.
Hura was reportedly shot to death on August 6. Tomko’s assassination was reported on July 8.
Separately on September 12, the FSB said that it had detained an alleged sabotage group suspected of planning a series of attacks against Russian-imposed officials in Ukraine’s Kherson region, most of which is controlled by Russia, and Russia-annexed Crimea.
