A Russian soldier was killed early Wednesday when his car exploded in Sevastopol, a major port city in annexed Crimea, in what officials say was likely caused by an improvised explosive device.
Sevastopol Governor Mikhail Razvozhayev said emergency services received a call about a vehicle exploding and then catching fire just before 10:00 a.m. local time.
“There was a driver inside the car, he was quickly evacuated and handed over to medics, but it was not possible to save him. He died from his injuries,” Razvozhayev wrote in a post on Telegram.
He said the victim was a Russian serviceman, adding that “an act of sabotage cannot be ruled out.”
Shortly after, Russia's Investigative Committee, which probes major crimes, launched a terrorism investigation into the incident after law enforcement officials said the explosion was likely caused by an improvised explosive device attached to the bottom of the vehicle.
Video and photos posted on social media showed the car wreckage. The entire vehicle was badly damaged and the front grill and bumper were torn off.
An unverified report by the Telegram news channel Baza, which has purported links to Russian security services, claimed that the soldier, identified as 47-year-old Valery T., was a captain of the Russian Navy’s Black Sea Fleet.
The BBC, citing an unnamed Ukrainian military intelligence source, reported later on Wednesday that the car explosion was a deliberate attack orchestrated by Ukraine’s security services. Like Baza, the source also identified the serviceman killed in the blast as a naval captain named Valery Trankovsky.
“Trankovsky is a war criminal who gave orders to launch cruise missiles from the Black Sea at civilian targets in Ukraine,” the source was quoted as saying. “He was an absolutely legitimate target in terms of the laws and customs of warfare.”
Russian military personnel and Kremlin-backed officials have been regularly targeted in assassination plots since the full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
A Message from The Moscow Times:
Dear readers,
We are facing unprecedented challenges. Russia's Prosecutor General's Office has designated The Moscow Times as an "undesirable" organization, criminalizing our work and putting our staff at risk of prosecution. This follows our earlier unjust labeling as a "foreign agent."
These actions are direct attempts to silence independent journalism in Russia. The authorities claim our work "discredits the decisions of the Russian leadership." We see things differently: we strive to provide accurate, unbiased reporting on Russia.
We, the journalists of The Moscow Times, refuse to be silenced. But to continue our work, we need your help.
Your support, no matter how small, makes a world of difference. If you can, please support us monthly starting from just $2. It's quick to set up, and every contribution makes a significant impact.
By supporting The Moscow Times, you're defending open, independent journalism in the face of repression. Thank you for standing with us.
Remind me later.
