A senior Russian occupation official in Berdyansk, a port city in southeastern Ukraine, was between life and death on Tuesday, September 6 after his car exploded, authorities installed by Moscow announced.
Artiom Bardin, head of the administration set up by the Russians in Berdiansk, was taken to hospital “
in serious condition
” after a bomb exploded in his vehicle, according to local authorities in this city.
Read alsoIn Kherson, occupied by the Russians, the population continues to resist
At the beginning of the evening, his death had been announced by the administration of Berdyansk and a regional pro-Russian official, but the latter then retracted to affirm that Artyom Bardin was still alive, although seriously injured.
“
He is seriously injured, but fortunately alive.
Doctors are fighting to save
him,” the head of the military-civilian administration of the Zaporizhia region, Yevgeny Balitsky, also said later.
Pro-Russian local authorities have accused "
Ukrainian terrorists
" of being behind the attack, which they say aims to "
intimidate
" Ukrainian officials who sided with the Russians.
Several executives of the Russian occupation have been killed or injured in attacks since the entry into Ukraine on February 24 of troops sent by Moscow.
Kyiv does not officially acknowledge any responsibility for these attacks.
Read alsoWar in Ukraine: the risk of getting bogged down
On August 29, a former Ukrainian deputy, Alexei Kovalev, who joined the Russian forces, was shot and killed in the southern region of Kherson, where the Ukrainian army is leading a counter-offensive.
The Ukrainian army, strong in western military supplies, claimed initial territorial gains in this part of Ukraine.
Because of the fighting, the occupation authorities hinted Monday that they intended to postpone a referendum announced for the fall and to allow Russia to annex the region.