A car belonging to a Russian official in Zaporozhye exploded in Simferopol

In Simferopol, in the annexed Crimea, a Toyota Land Cruiser belonging to Vladimir Epifanov, an assistant to the deputy prime minister of the government of the annexed part of the Zaporozhye region, exploded on the Yevpatorii highway.

The incident happened around 4 am. According to the reports of the publication “Baza” and the newspaper “Kommersant”, in addition to the Russian official, there were two more people in the cabin: his secretary and a security guard. All three received burns on their heads, bodies and hands due to the explosion.

Oleg Kryuchkov, adviser to the Russian head of Crimea, claims that the cause of the incident was the explosion of a gas cylinder in a car after a car accident. It is claimed that the driver of the SUV lost control and crashed into a wall on the highway. The victims were taken to the city hospital of Simferopol.

Since the beginning of the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine, there have been regular attempts on Russian officials, army officers and soldiers in the territories controlled by Moscow. Usually, Russia recognizes the fact of the attempt and blames it on the Ukrainian authorities.