An official of the “LPR” appointed by Russia was killed in a car explosion

In the Russian-controlled city of Starobelsk, Luhansk Region, Ukraine, on Monday, a car carrying an official appointed by Russia was blown up. Valery Chayka held the post of deputy head of the district “Center for the Service of Educational Organizations”. He died on the spot.

The Russian Investigative Committee reported that a criminal case had been opened in connection with the explosion of a car and the death of a person.

Vladimir Chernyov, the head of Starobelsk appointed by Russia, stated in his Telegram channel that Chaika “stood at the beginning of the formation of Starobelsk after liberation from Ukrainian gangs”.

The Ukrainian press, reporting on the explosion, calls Chaika a collaborator. In 2010, he was elected a deputy of the Starobel City Council from Viktor Yanukovych’s “Party of Regions”. In 2022, after the full-scale invasion of Russian troops in the Luhansk region, he switched to their side and was appointed by the pro-Russian administration as an adviser to the head of the Starobel district of the so-called “LPR”.

Last year, the SBU opened a criminal case against him for the fact of collaborative activity. The indictment against Chaika was sent to the court, reports “RBK-Ukraine”.

• Attempts on representatives of administrations appointed by Russia periodically occur in Ukrainian regions occupied by Russian troops. On March 6, a car of a member of the precinct election commission was blown up in Berdyansk, Zaporozhye region. The owner of the car died. On December 6 of last year, the car of Oleg Popov, a deputy of the “People’s Council of the Luhansk People’s Republic” controlled by the Russian authorities, was blown up in Luhansk, he was killed. On November 8, an explosion killed a deputy of the Russian regional parliament in annexed Luhansk, the former head of the armed forces of the pro-Russian separatists of Donbas, Mikhail Filiponenko.
• Killing a non-combatant can be considered a war crime. The Russian authorities accuse the Ukrainian special services of the attempts. Most often, they do not take direct responsibility.