Prison chief killed in car explosion in occupied Ukraine

The former head of a notorious prison in Russian-occupied Ukraine has reportedly been murdered in a car blast in Donetsk, in what is being seen as the latest in a series of attacks on pro-Kremlin figures in the occupied lands.

Ukrainian media say 49-year-old Sergei Yevsukov died in a blast caused by an explosive device planted under his car, with one outlet reporting that the explosive was equivalent to about 100 grams of TNT.

Yevsukov was the head of Olenivka prison when dozens of Ukrainian prisoners of war were held Died in a missile attack in July 2022,

Russia blamed Ukraine for that attack but Ukraine said Russia had targeted the prison to destroy evidence of torture and other war crimes committed there.

On Monday, Russian authorities said they had launched a criminal investigation into the incident which occurred near the city centre.

He did not confirm the identities but said two local residents were injured.

Ukrainian bloggers reported that Yevsukov’s wife was also injured in the attack, having lost a leg and was in hospital in serious condition.

“(We are) conducting a detailed investigation of the incident site and conducting a set of operational and investigative measures,” the Russian Investigative Committee said.

Footage from the scene shows a burnt-out white SUV parked on a main road in Donetsk.

Yevsukov’s killing is being seen as the latest in a series of targeted attacks on Russian officials, Russian-installed military officials and pro-Kremlin public figures in occupied Ukrainian territory and in Russia.

In November, Valery Trankovsky, a senior naval officer accused by Ukraine of war crimes, was killed in Crimea. The AFP news agency reported last month, citing a source in Ukraine’s security services, that his killing was orchestrated by Ukrainian intelligence.

In October, Ukraine claimed responsibility for a car bomb attack that killed an official at the Russian-held Zaporizhia nuclear power plant.

And in April, a car bomb exploded in a Russian-controlled area in Ukraine’s eastern Luhansk region, killing a Moscow-appointed government official.

The city of Donetsk and parts of a wider region of eastern Ukraine were first seized by Russian-backed forces in 2014, and the region has since been partially controlled by Moscow.

The region has seen some of the heaviest fighting of the war in nearly three years.