MOSCOW, Aug 24 (NNN-AGENCIES) — The Russian-installed head of the Ukrainian town of Mykhailivka in the Russian-controlled part of Zaporizhzhia region was killed in a car bomb on Tuesday, an official in the region’s Russian-backed administration said.
Writing on Telegram, Zaporizhzhia region administration member Vladimir Rogov said that Mykhailivka head Ivan Sushko had been critically injured when a bomb placed under his car exploded, and died shortly afterward in hospital.
Mykhailivka has a population of 11,000.
It is the latest in a series of assassinations of Russian-installed officials in occupied areas of Ukraine. In neighboring Kherson region, the deputy head of the town of Novaya Kakhovka was shot dead in his home on Aug 6.
WELLINGTON: New Zealand’s army said that a soldier on leave had been killed in Ukraine, stressing that he was not on active duty.
The country has not deployed troops to Ukraine, but it has sent dozens of military personnel to the UK to help train Ukrainian soldiers there.
“The soldier was on a period of leave without pay at the time and was not on active duty with the NZDF,” a statement from the New Zealand Defense Force said.
“At this early stage, there is still more information to be gathered in order to understand the circumstances fully.”
The Ukraine war has attracted a string of Western fighters, some with past combat experience or military training.
Several have been killed in the conflict including fighters from the Netherlands, France, Germany and Australia.
Russia said in June that its forces had killed “hundreds” of foreign combatants in Ukraine since the start of the invasion.
Pro-Russian separatists have also captured several foreign citizens, describing them as mercenaries.
New Zealand’s army said it would offer support to the family of the soldier.
The country’s military sent a team of 30 troops to the UK in May to train Ukrainian soldiers to operate light field guns.
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern earlier this month announced that an additional 120 military personnel would be sent to the UK to teach Ukrainian soldiers battlefield skills, including weapons handling and first aid.
