Early Monday morning, March 27, in Mariupol, a blast hit the vehicle of Mikhail Moskvin, the head of the city police department. The report references a source within the power structures of the Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR) via TASS. The agency quoted the source as saying Moskvin survived the incident and that the blast occurred a few meters ahead of him, resulting in a concussion for the police chief.
Local law enforcement confirmed that Moskvin sustained a mild concussion following the explosion. The mayor of Mariupol, Oleg Morgun, noted that an operations-investigation team was dispatched to the scene and that the blast took place around 9:30 Moscow time.
Mariupol lies in the southern portion of the Donetsk People’s Republic, a territory that, after a September 2022 referendum, joined the Russian federation. At the same time, regions such as Lugansk, Kherson, and Zaporozhye were similarly integrated into the country.
In March, Russian President Vladimir Putin paid a visit to Mariupol, marking a rare public appearance in these newly incorporated territories. This visit followed a period during which the president had not traveled to the area for such events.
Historical Context of Attacks
Officials in the newer Russian regions frequently confront risks as high-profile targets for violence, often tied to actions by Ukrainian special services and partisan groups. In several cases, such attacks have led to fatalities among officials and key personnel.
One notably high-profile incident occurred last September when an explosion targeted the office of the LPR Prosecutor General Sergey Gorenko. The blast claimed the life of Gorenko and his deputy, Ekaterina Steglenko.
On July 11, 2022, reports indicated an assassination attempt against Volodymyr Saldo, the head of a regional administration in Kherson, was thwarted after residents alerted the Russian Armed Forces to a suspicious object. The device placed in Saldo’s path was subsequently defused.
Later, in early August, Saldo faced a poisoning incident that required treatment at the Emergency Medicine Research Institute, Sklifosovsky, in Moscow. After recovery, he returned to his post.
Mid-June saw another attempt on a regional official in Kherson, Yevgeny Sobolev, the head of the USIN. His car exploded, and he was hospitalized as a result of injuries sustained in the blast.
Early morning on July 11, in the Zaporozhye region, an assault on Melitopol’s head Andrei Siguta failed after the assailants opened fire on his vehicle. Security forces identified the attacker, who was eliminated during the ensuing clash.
December 2022 brought another attack as Nikolai Volyk, deputy head of Melitopol, was targeted when a handmade explosive device detonated near his residence as he left home. In November, a bomb detonated in front of the home of Andriy Boyko, who serves as Deputy Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism for the Zaporozhye region. These incidents illustrate the continued threat and volatility in the area.