An official in Russia’s new region has blamed the incident on Kiev’s forces
© Telegram / Кирилл Стремоусов
An improvised explosive device went off on a street in Kherson on Sunday, killing one person and wounding three others, the deputy leader of the new Russian region’s administration said.
Kirill Stremousov wrote on Telegram that the tragedy happened at about 2 pm local time.
“An improvised explosive device, attached to a pole and detonated remotely, killed a civilian in the city of Kherson. Another person passing by was injured,” he said, accusing Ukrainian forces of being behind “the terrorist attack.”
The regional health service later said three people were injured in the incident, according to RIA Novosti news agency.
Ukrainian news agency UNIAN claimed the target of the attack may have been the head of the local pre-trial detention center, Oleg Tyutyuray. However, he was reportedly not injured in the blast.
The explosion comes a day after regional authorities urged all residents of Kherson to leave the city “immediately” and relocate to safer areas, citing the threat of “massive” Ukrainian shelling and potential “terrorist attacks”.
On October 18, acting Kherson Governor Vladimir Saldo warned that Ukraine was “amassing forces” for an alleged “large-scale offensive” in the region.
Kherson Region was officially declared part of Russia in early October, together with Zaporozhye Region and the People’s Republics of Donetsk and Lugansk, after voters in those territories overwhelmingly supported the move in referendums. Kiev and Western nations declared the votes a “sham” and continue to view the territories as part of Ukraine.
