The Russian commandant of a seized Ukrainian city was injured by a massive vehicle bomb explosion on Tuesday, according to Kyiv, as Moscow’s death toll in the conflict reached 50,000.
A vehicle believed to belong to Bardin Artem Igorevich, the military commander chosen by Moscow to manage the Russian-occupied city and its surroundings, was shown in flames in footage from Berdyansk.
A roadway with trees in the city’s centre, adjacent to the administrative office, was shaken by the explosion.
Igorevich is allegedly in a critical condition after being transported to the hospital.
Following the explosion, there was a gunfight; video of the cityscape captured the sound of gunfire as smoke from the automobile ascended over the skyline.
Bardin is the most recent official to be wounded or killed in an assault who was placed in office by Russian troops in Ukraine territory under Moscow’s control.
Although Kyiv hasn’t openly taken credit for these strikes, it’s thought that pro-Ukraine operators in seized areas are behind them.
On his Telegram channel, Vladimir Rogov, a representative of the Russian government in the occupied Zaporizhzhia area, described the occurrence as a terror strike.
Three other civilian automobiles were damaged in the explosion, according to his report.
The city commandant was hospitalised in a critical condition as a consequence of the incident. He receives the appropriate medical attention from doctors,’ Rogov stated.
The explosion also caused damage to three passenger vehicles, where fortunately no one was inside.
The incident’s specifics are being described, he continued.
Rogov told the state-run RIA Novosti news agency that the Zelensky regime’s terrorists were responsible for both the terrorist assault and the attempt on the commandant of Berdyansk’s life. He said that an inquiry had been launched.
Since Putin’s soldiers took control of huge portions of Ukraine’s southern Zaporizhzhia region and its eastern Donbas area, Russia’s push into its neighbor’s territory has mostly remained blocked for months.
After months of intense combat, Kiev’s soldiers are finally starting to stage a counterattack against the invaders in certain areas.
According to experts, Putin aims to stage phoney elections in the seized areas as a precursor to a complete annexation, as he did in Crimea in 2014.
Recent killings of pro-Russian officials, however, are seen as proof that pro-Ukrainian saboteurs are active within Russian-controlled territory and may be preventing the east of Ukraine from becoming an extension of Russian sovereignty.
A pro-Russian police head in the area was discovered hanging last month.
According to reports, Andrei Ryzhkov worked as a border guard in Ukraine before he changed sides.
He was chosen by the invading Kremlin troops to serve as police chief.
According to Sergei Bratchuk, an official from Odessa, Ryzhkov “was discovered hanging in a noose.”
The exact circumstances surrounding his hanging are unknown, but the Russian occupying troops are looking into them.
And a week before, a vehicle bombing in the Zaporizhzhia area claimed the life of Ivan Sushko, a 40-year-old regional administrator.
Both individuals were natives of Mykhailivka, a town near Berdyansk and the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power station, which is now under Russian military siege.
The deputy chief of the Berdyansk traffic police, Alexander Kolesnikov, was also killed in a vehicle bombing.
The patterns show that Putin’s troops are having trouble keeping hold of territory that they captured early in the conflict.
The General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine revealed that between 24 February and 6 September, Russia lost about 50,150 troops; this is the first time the estimate has gone above 50,000. At the same time, the news of the Berdyansk explosion broke.
According to the Ukrainian military, in addition to the tens of thousands of soldiers, Russia has also suffered losses of 2,077 tanks, 4,484 armoured combat vehicles, 1,179 artillery pieces, 296 multiple launch rocket systems, 156 air defence systems, 236 warplanes, 207 helicopters, 876 drones, 209 cruise missiles, 15 warships, 3,305 motor vehicles and fuel tankers, and 109 pieces of specialised equipment.
Although Russia claims to have had much fewer casualties, it very occasionally updates its most recent numbers.
In a counteroffensive against the Russian army in the south, Ukraine has announced its first successes, claiming to have regained many regions and destroyed several objectives.