(AmericanProsperity.com) – On Wednesday, November 8, Ukraine declared responsibility for a car bombing that resulted in the death of Russia-backed politician and former police chief Mikhail Filiponenko. The act was described as retribution for his alleged role as an “executioner” and a “war criminal.” This incident marks the second attempt on Filiponenko’s life, the first being a blast in February 2022, days before Russia invaded Ukraine.
Images from the scene revealed a heavily damaged dark-colored SUV, with blood splattered across the backseat and covering the vehicle’s side.
Ukraine’s special military intelligence promptly acknowledged, with support from local “resistance” forces, that they were responsible for Filiponenko’s assassination. The intelligence agency labeled Filiponenko as an “executioner” and a “war criminal” due to his alleged operation of “torture camps” in Luhansk, where both civilians and war prisoners reportedly endured “inhumane” treatment.
According to Ukrainian intelligence, Filiponenko was personally involved in torturing people. They also stated that his assassination served as a strong warning to individuals identified as “traitors to Ukraine” and “Russian terrorist collaborators” that they would face the same fate. The agency mentioned that its pursuit of such individuals is ongoing.
Filiponenko’s association with Luhansk’s pro-Russian separatist movement dates back to 2014. During this time, he held a prominent position as one of its top commanders in the army of the self-proclaimed Luhansk People’s Republic, a designation that Ukraine’s military intelligence recognizes as a terrorist group.
On February 21, 2022, Filiponenko survived a car bombing attempt just three days before Russia invaded Ukraine. In September of the same year, he won a seat in the regional parliament representing Russia’s ultranationalist Liberal Democratic Party in a vote that attracted international criticism. Following Filiponenko’s death, Russia’s Investigative Committee initiated an investigation, classifying the assassination as an act of terror.
The head of the self-proclaimed Luhansk People’s Republic, Leonid Pasechnik, described Filiponenko as a real hero, and his death came as a shock.
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