Ukrainian collaborator killed in Kherson Oblast
UKRAINSKA PRAVDA – MONDAY, 29 AUGUST 2022, 00:11
Oleksii Kovalov, a former member of the Ukrainian parliament and recently a collaborator with Russia, has been killed in the Russian-occupied territory of Kherson Oblast.
Source: Anonymous Telegram channels; Serhii Khlan, Adviser to the Head of Kherson Oblast Military Administration, on Facebook; Kherson-based media outlet Most; Ukrainska Pravda source in Sluha Narodu (Servant of the People), President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s political party
Details: On Sunday, 28 August several anonymous Telegram channels reported that Kovalov had been murdered in Kherson Oblast.
Quote from Khlan: "We obtained information that a former member of parliament and traitor, Oleksii Kovalov, has been killed in Zapiznyi Port. The information has yet to be confirmed, but it’s worth noting that [Russian] propaganda media also wrote about the death of their ‘minister’, though they almost instantly deleted [those posts]."
More details: An Ukrainska Pravda source in the Sluha Narodu (Servant of the People) party confirmed the information about Kovalov’s death. "Yes, this is true," the source said.
Media outlet Most also reports that several of its sources in law enforcement have confirmed information about Kovalov’s death. Most notes that its sources have been careful with their statements as there is a possibility that the murder was staged.
Background:
- In early April 2022, Oleksii Kovalov wrote that he remained in Hola Prystan in Kherson Oblast despite it being occupied by Russia in order to continue working in his district. The State Bureau of Investigation opened criminal proceedings against him.
- On 3 May, Kovalov was expelled from the Sluha Narodu (Servant of the People) party. When he admitted on 8 June that he was cooperating with the Russian occupiers in Kherson Oblast, the party called on the Verkhovna Rada (Ukrainian parliament) to strip him of his seat.
- On 22 June, Kyrylo Budanov, head of the Chief Intelligence Directorate of Ukraine’s Ministry of Defence, confirmed that a car belonging to people's deputy Oleksii Kovalov had been blown up in Kherson Oblast. On 30 June, Kovalov said in an interview with Russian propagandists that he survived an attempt on his life.
- According to the State Bureau of Investigation, at the beginning of July Kovalov assumed the position of deputy head of the "government of Kherson Oblast", illegally created by the Russian occupying administration.
- On 6 July, the Prosecutor General of Ukraine informed Kovalov that he was under suspicion. He was put on a wanted list. Kovalov's property was transferred under the management of ARMA (Ukraine’s Agency for Search and Management of Assets).
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