Support The Moscow Times!

Russian-Backed Official Survives Assassination Attempt in Occupied Ukraine, Colleague Says

Anton Yakimenko. t.me/akimoVka_online

A Russian-installed official in Ukraine’s occupied Zaporizhzhia region has survived an assassination attempt at his workplace, his colleague said Tuesday.

Anton Yakimenko sits on Zaporizhzhia’s Moscow-backed Yakimivka district council and is a member of the pro-Kremlin United Russia party. He also heads a local affiliate of the Russian state-run grain operator GUP GZO Akimovskoye.

According to local pro-Russian politician Vladimir Rogov, an explosive device placed at the gate of the grain operator’s garage detonated when Yakimenko opened it.

“Anton was lucky, the main direction of the explosion went past him. He was just grazed,” Rogov wrote on the Telegram messaging app, adding that Yakimenko’s life was “not in danger.”

It is not known who placed the explosive device.

Rogov, who immediately blamed “Ukrainian terrorists” for the assassination attempt, said investigators were working at the scene of the attack and interviewing witnesses.

Several former Ukrainian officials who have defected to Russia, Moscow-installed officials in occupied Ukrainian territories and Russian pro-war figures have been targeted in assassination attempts since the invasion of Ukraine in early 2022.

Moscow has regularly blamed Kyiv for the attacks.

Russia claimed to have annexed Ukraine’s Donetsk, Luhansk, Kherson and Zaporizhzhia regions following 2022 referendums that Ukraine and the West denounced as a sham.

Sign up for our free weekly newsletter

Our weekly newsletter contains a hand-picked selection of news, features, analysiss and more from The Moscow Times. You will receive it in your mailbox every Friday. Never miss the latest news from Russia. Preview
Subscribers agree to the Privacy Policy

A Message from The Moscow Times:

Dear readers,

We are facing unprecedented challenges. Russia's Prosecutor General's Office has designated The Moscow Times as an "undesirable" organization, criminalizing our work and putting our staff at risk of prosecution. This follows our earlier unjust labeling as a "foreign agent."

These actions are direct attempts to silence independent journalism in Russia. The authorities claim our work "discredits the decisions of the Russian leadership." We see things differently: we strive to provide accurate, unbiased reporting on Russia.

We, the journalists of The Moscow Times, refuse to be silenced. But to continue our work, we need your help.

Your support, no matter how small, makes a world of difference. If you can, please support us monthly starting from just $2. It's quick to set up, and every contribution makes a significant impact.

By supporting The Moscow Times, you're defending open, independent journalism in the face of repression. Thank you for standing with us.

Once
Monthly
Annual
Continue
paiment methods
Not ready to support today?
Remind me later.

Read more