The former head of a notorious prison in Russia-controlled Ukraine has reportedly died in a car bomb attack in Donetsk, in what appears to be the latest in a series of attacks on pro-Kremlin supporters in the occupied country.
Ukrainian media said that Sergei Yevsyukov, 49, was killed when an explosive device placed under his car detonated, another company reported that the explosive device was equivalent to 100g of TNT.
Yevsyukov was the head of Olenivka Prison where many Ukrainian prisoners of war were held died in a missile strike in July 2022.
Russia blamed Ukraine for the attack, but Ukraine said Russia was targeting the prison to destroy evidence of torture and other war crimes committed there.
On Monday, Russian authorities said they had opened a criminal investigation into the incident near the city center.
They did not confirm their identity but said two civilians were injured.
Ukrainian bloggers reported that Yevsyukov's wife was also injured in the attack, with a broken leg, and was in hospital in critical condition.
“[We] they are thoroughly examining the scene of the incident and a set of operational and investigative measures,” said the Russian Investigations Committee.
Footage of the incident shows a burnt-out white SUV parked on the main road in Donestsk.
The killing of Yevsyukov is seen as the latest in a series of attacks on Russian officials, military officers stationed in Russia and people who support the Kremlin in Ukraine and Russia.
In November, senior military officer Valery Trankovsky accused of war crimes by Ukraine was killed in Crimea. His killing was instigated by Ukrainian intelligence services, AFP news agency said last month, citing a source from Ukraine's security agencies.
In October, Ukraine claimed responsibility for killing an official at Russia's Zaporizhzhia nuclear power station.
And in April, a car bomb in Russian-controlled territory in eastern Ukraine's Luhansk region killed a government official appointed by Moscow.
The city of Donetsk and parts of a wider region in eastern Ukraine were first seized by Russian-backed forces in 2014, and the area has been partially controlled by Moscow since then.
The region has been witnessing some of the most intense fighting in the last three years.
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