Kherson official dies in car bombing

The head of the village of Lyubimovka in Russia’s Kherson region, Andrey Shtepa, was killed on Thursday, according to the regional administration’s official Telegram channel.

“Today, Ukrainian terrorists made an attempt on the head of the village of Lyubimovka in the Kakhovka municipal district, as a result of which he died,” the statement read, adding that the attack was carried out using a car bomb.

“Andrei Shtepa was a true professional and a fearless person who selflessly led the evacuation and remained in his native village to the last, fulfilling his duties, despite the threat to life,” the authorities reported.

Kherson officials say they have now launched a criminal investigation into the attack and have vowed to find all those responsible for this “inhuman crime” and punish them to the fullest extent of Russian law.

This fall, the regions of Kherson and Zaporozhye as well as the Donetsk and Lugansk people’s republics formally joined Russia after voting overwhelmingly in favor of the move in referendums. Kiev rejected the results of the referendums and pledged to use military force to oust Russia from all lands that Ukraine considers its own. 

The incident comes as Kiev has warned that there will be more explosions on Russian territory as long as Moscow continues its military operation in Ukraine. 

While Ukrainian officials have not claimed outright responsibility for acts such as the August car bomb killing of journalist Darya Dugina or the October truck bombing of the Crimean Bridge, the head of Ukraine’s National Security and Defense Council, Alexey Danilov, stated on Wednesday that if Moscow continues its policies “there will be blasts” in many cities across Russia.

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