Ukrainian intelligence assassinates three Russian drone operators linked to former Russian space agency chief

Three Russian drone operators from Bars-Sarmat, a unit linked to Dmitry Rogozin, former head of the Russian space agency, Roscosmos, have been assassinated by Ukrainian intelligence in the temporarily occupied territory of Kherson Oblast.

Source: Defence Intelligence of Ukraine (DIU) on Telegram

Details: A Chevrolet Aveo carrying three Russian soldiers is reported to have exploded on the outskirts of the settlement of Strilkove on 4 July.

All three were reportedly members of the Bars-1 group, which is based in temporarily occupied Henichesk. One of those killed was the group’s senior officer, who Defence Intelligence said had posed a threat to Ukraine’s defence forces and used to terrorise the local population.

DIU noted that the Russians established the so-called Bars-Sarmat Centre in 2024 in the temporarily occupied territory of Zaporizhzhia Oblast. The centre specialises in the combat use of unmanned aerial vehicles, robotics, electronic warfare systems, and reconnaissance and communication equipment.

Former Roscosmos chief Dmitry Rogozin is believed to command the unit.

DIU underlined that for every war crime committed against Ukraine, "there will be just retribution".

Background:

• On 21 December 2022, Dmitry Rogozin and Vitaliy Khotsenko, the so-called prime minister of the "Donetsk People’s Republic" (DPR) terror organisation, sustained injuries in a strike on Donetsk.
• Ukrainian state border guards figured out Rogozin’s location and reminded him that violating Ukraine’s state borders entails criminal liability.
• According to Russian media reports, doctors in the "DPR" were unable to remove a piece of shrapnel from Rogozin’s body.

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