Russia opens criminal case into attempted assassination of Kherson region occupation authority official

The Russian Investigative Committee has opened a criminal case on the count of attempted assassination of Vitaly Gura, deputy head of the Kherson region’s Kakhovka district occupation authority, the agency reports.

According to the Investigative Committee, an explosive device went off near a cafe entrance in Nova Kakhovka in the morning of 13 March. Gura was injured and taken to hospital after the explosion. The agency is unable to clarify who planted the bomb as of yet.

On 13 March, Ukraine’s Atesh partisan movement said it was involved in the attempted assassination of Gura. According to them, no civilians were harmed.

“At 12:10 PM on 13 March 2023, an Atesh agent blew up the deputy head of the so-called ‘Nova Kakhovka military administration’ near the Smachna Kraina cafe located on Victory Avenue, next to his car,” the statement reads.

In August 2022, the Kherson region’s occupation authorities said that Gura had been assassinated. It was reported that he had sustained “multiple firearm injuries”. In a month’s time, Gura appeared on Russian TV and said that the operation was staged by the FSB.

“The Ukrainian media is showing reports about me, saying that I am dead and was killed. <…> In early August, I was approached and told that my assassination was in the works. I was shown footage that proved that they wanted to kill me,” he said.