The head of the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defense, Kirill Budanov, confirmed that the car of People’s Deputy Alexei Kovalev, who defected to the side of Russia, was blown up in the Kherson region.
Zaporozhye and Kherson regions met the invaders with numerous pro-Ukrainian rallies. When the Russian military began to harshly disperse peaceful actions, detentions and arrests of activists, journalists, ATO participants and public figures began, the resistance also became radicalized.
The main targets of the partisan struggle were collaborators – those who went to cooperate with the Russians in the occupied areas.
Undermining the Jailer
On the morning of June 18, a car exploded in a parking lot in the center of Kherson. The explosive was planted in a tree and detonated as the car drove by. Evgeny Sobolev, a local official who supported Russian troops, was driving the car that was blown up.
Sobolev headed the Northern Correctional Colony No. 90 in Kherson. With the beginning of the occupation, Sobolev allowed Russian soldiers to place a food warehouse, a first-aid post and a recreation center on the territory of the colony. And the head of the institution forced the prisoners to repair Russian military equipment. He also actively helped the Russian security forces with the contacts of other local officials.
For his work, Sobolev received from the Russian administration the post of head of the regional department of the penitentiary service.
According to Russian state media, after the explosion, the injured jailer managed to survive, but he was hospitalized with serious injuries.
Advisor to the head of the Kherson regional military administration, Serhiy Khlan, considers the blowing up of Sobolev’s car the work of Ukrainian partisans, carried out jointly with the armed forces of Ukraine. He calls the victim himself a “high-level collaborator.”
Hello in Chernobaevka
On the morning of June 22, an explosion thundered in Chernobaevka when a car was driving down the street
the former head of the local bus station, and now the protege of the invaders as the “head of the OVA” Yuri Turulev.
According to Russian propaganda media, Turulev was slightly wounded. He himself allegedly claims that he received shrapnel wounds and a slight concussion.
People’s Deputy Collaborator
On the same day, information appeared about the explosion of the car of People’s Deputy Alexei Kovalev, who had defected to the side of the enemy. The day before, Kovalev admitted on his Facebook page that he was collaborating with the Russian occupiers in the Kherson region. Kirill Budanov, head of the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defense, confirmed that the people’s deputy’s car was blown up.
“I can confirm that a certain action was taken. The car was completely blown up. What is the state of this collaborator and traitor – now we will find out,” Budanov said.
The head of the GUR explained that any “unusual” events in the Kherson region over the past few days have occurred thanks to the resistance movement, which cooperates with Ukrainian law enforcement agencies, including military intelligence.
Warehouses and flyers
Kherson residents are actively transmitting to the Ukrainian army data on ammunition depots, movement routes and locations of the Russian military and local officials cooperating with them. The blowing up of a Russian ammunition depot in Novaya Kakhovka on June 14 is called one of the latest results of such cooperation.
Another partisan activity agreed with the Ukrainian military is posting threatening leaflets all over Kherson.
Zaporozhye region is not far behind
Another epicenter of the Ukrainian partisan movement is called Melitopol, Zaporozhye region. Even on combat maps, foreign think tanks label the Melitopol region as an area where Russian troops do not have full control of the situation and where the resistance movement is extremely active.
And the American Institute for the Study of War has repeatedly mentioned in its reports that it is the massive activity of Ukrainian partisans that does not allow Russia to realize all plans to annex the occupied territories of the south.
Over the past two months, Ukrainian forces have been able to carry out several acts of sabotage here. On May 29 and June 12, explosions rumbled in the center of Melitopol near the buildings of representatives of the occupying authorities. And on May 18, it became known about the damage to the armored train of the Russian troops and railway lines.
In Energodar, Zaporizhia region, on May 22, an explosion occurred at the entrance of the so-called “head of the city administration”, Andrei Shevchik, appointed by the Russians. He and two of his bodyguards were injured. Shevchik escaped with a broken collarbone and numerous injuries.
