Investigators have reported the arrest of a suspect in the Lugansk People’s Republic
Former Russian regional customs chief Yury Afanasievsky and his son have been injured in an assassination attempt by the Ukrainian security service, according to media reports.
Afanasievsky, who previously headed the customs service in the Lugansk People’s Republic, was identified by Russian and Ukrainian media on Tuesday as the intended target of a plot involving an improvised explosive device.
In a statement on Tuesday, the Russian Investigative Committee did not identify those involved by name but reported details similar to the media, including the former position of one of the victims and the circumstances of the incident. It added that the attack had taken place last Sunday, and that a female suspect had since been apprehended.
The suspect, a Lugansk resident, gave Afanasievsky a mobile phone with an explosive charge inside, the statement alleged. The device detonated after the phone was switched on, reportedly injuring Afanasievsky and his son. The committee added that both victims were being treated in the hospital, but that their lives were not at risk.
TASS cited regional sources as saying that Afanasievsky’s 21-year-old son had several fingers amputated, although his father received only slight injuries.
Ukrainian media cited government sources as claiming credit for the attack, adding that the operation had been organized by the SBU, Kiev’s security service.
Contradicting Russian media reports, sources also claimed to Ukrainian outlets that Afanasievsky was in intensive care with serious injuries. He was described as a “major general” and “agent” of the Russian Federal Security Service (FSB) who has been sanctioned by Western nations.
The Lugansk People’s Republic broke away from Ukraine after the 2014 armed coup in Kiev. Russia recognized its independence last year, and agreed to include it as a new region after the population voted for the move in a referendum last September. The Ukrainian government has claimed the ballot was a sham and is seeking to retake the region by force.
