Vitaly Bulyuk’s car struck a mine, authorities reported
Vitaly Bulyuk © khogov.ru
The deputy governor of Russia’s Kherson Region, Vitaly Bulyuk, is in the hospital and his driver is dead, after their vehicle struck a mine on Monday, according to local authorities. Bulyuk has been in charge of economic and financial matters in the former Ukrainian region that joined Russia this fall.
Bulyuk has been injured and his condition is “moderate but stable,” Vadim Ilmiev, the region’s health minister, told reporters. “He is in one of the regional hospitals.”
The deputy governor’s driver died on the scene, when their vehicle struck what appeared to be a landmine, a local source told RT. The car caught fire and burned down.
Kherson authorities told RIA Novosti that the explosion had been an “attempted assassination” of Bulyuk. His injuries were not life-threatening, the officials added.
Bulyuk’s portfolio in the regional administration included economic affairs, budget and finance, farming and revenue. Another deputy head of the region, Kirill Stremousov, died in a car crash last month.
Russia incorporated Kherson Region in October, after the majority of residents voted in favor of such a move during the referendum. Since then, however, Russian forces have withdrawn to the left bank of the Dnieper River in the region.
