On the morning of 8 November, several Russian sources reported that the “Luhansk People’s Republic MP” Colonel Mikhail Filiponenko died in a car explosion in occupied Luhansk. Later, Ukraine’s military intelligence agency confirmed its involvement in the assassination of the colonel.
Russia’s state-funded news agency TASS says Filiponenko was the deputy of the so-called People’s Council of the Luhansk People’s Republic (LNR), a parliament-like body established by the Russian occupation forces in Luhansk. He was the former “chief of the directorate of the People’s Militia of the LNR.”
Quisling official Yurii Yurov was the first to report Filiponenko’s death, although he did not mention any details. Yurov mentions him as Filipponenko, so it remains unclear which spelling of the colonel’s last name is correct.
Later, the so-called Luhansk Information Center (LIC), the official press service of the Russian occupation authorities, reported that Filiponenko was allegedly killed by a car bomb.
“As a result of an explosive device that detonated in Mikhail Filiponenko’s car, the People’s Council deputy received injuries incompatible with life,” LIC said.
Currently, only Russian sources claim that Filiponenko was killed without presenting any hard evidence.
As of the time of publication of this article, Ukrainian officials did not comment on the alleged death of Filiponenko.
Previously, in early October, a quisling official sharing a local branch of Putin’s United Russia party in Kherson’s Russian-occupied Nova Kakhovka died following the detonation of his car.
Such attacks are usually attributed to Ukrainian partisan underground activities or the infighting among the quisling officials. Ukrainian officials rarely confirm the country’s involvement in them.
Update:
The Main Directorate of Intelligence (HUR) of Ukraine’s Defense Ministry confirmed that the assassination of Filiponenko in Luhansk was its special operation.
The HUR says Mikhail Filiponenko was killed in a car explosion on 8 November 2023 at 08:40 a.m., and he was an MP from Russia’s LDNR party of the so-called “Supreme Council of the Luhansk people’s republic.”
“He was involved in the organization of torture chambers in the occupied territories of Luhansk Oblast, where prisoners of war and civilian hostages were subjected to inhuman torture. Filiponenko personally brutally tortured people,” the spy agency wrote.
The HUR confirmed that the assassination of Filiponenko was its operation:
“The special operation to eliminate the executioner [Filiponenko] was carried out jointly with representatives of the resistance movement. As a result of the morning explosion, Filiponenko died on the spot,” the HUR wrote.
Read also:
- Putin party chief in occupied Nova Kakhovka dies after partisan attack
- Alleged attack on occupied Sorokyne, Luhansk Oblast, causes explosions, secondary detonations (video)
- Atesh partisans discover secret Russian military depot in Crimea: How does it look?
- Russian saboteur targets own, blows up military trucks in occupied Ukraine
- Explosion occurred at “prosecutor’s office” in occupied Luhansk – media
