Former Prison Chief Dies in Car Explosion in Russian-Occupied Donetsk

Reports indicate that the former director of a well-known prison in Russian-controlled Ukraine died in a vehicle explosion in Donetsk. This incident is perceived as the most recent in a succession of assaults targeting pro-Kremlin individuals within occupied territories. Ukrainian news sources state that Sergei Yevsyukov, aged 49, perished due to an explosive device detonating beneath his vehicle, with one publication specifying the bomb’s explosive power as approximately 100g of TNT. Mr. Yevsyukov held the position of chief at Olenivka Prison during a missile strike in July 2022 that resulted in the deaths of dozens of Ukrainian prisoners of war. Russia attributed responsibility for that attack to Ukraine, while Ukraine asserted that Russia had deliberately struck the prison to eliminate proof of torture and other war crimes perpetrated at the site. Russian authorities announced on Monday that they had initiated a criminal investigation into the event, which occurred close to the city’s central area. While not confirming identities, they reported that two local inhabitants sustained injuries. Ukrainian bloggers indicated that Yevsyukov’s wife also suffered injuries in the assault, including the loss of a leg, and was hospitalized in critical condition. “[We] are conducting a detailed examination of the scene of the incident and a set of operational and investigative measures,” stated the Russian Investigations Committee. Video evidence from the location displays a charred white SUV situated on a primary thoroughfare in Donetsk. The death of Yevsyukov is regarded as the most recent in a series of targeted assaults attributed to Ukraine, aimed at Russian officers, military officials appointed by Russia, and pro-Kremlin public figures within both occupied Ukrainian territory and Russia. In November, Valery Trankovsky, a senior naval officer accused of war crimes by Ukraine, was killed in Crimea. Russia illegally annexed Crimea in 2014. AFP news agency reported last month, citing a source within Ukraine’s security services, that Ukrainian intelligence orchestrated Trankovsky’s assassination. Ukraine took responsibility in October for a car bomb attack that resulted in the death of an official at the Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant. Furthermore, in April, a car bomb detonated in Russian-controlled territory within Ukraine’s eastern Luhansk region, killing a government official appointed by Moscow. Donetsk city, along with portions of the broader eastern Ukrainian region, was initially captured by Russian-backed forces in 2014, and the area has remained under partial control by Moscow since that time. This region has continuously experienced some of the most intense combat of the war over the past nearly three years.