A female official who worked with the Russian government and was in charge of elections was killed on Wednesday when her car exploded in Berdyansk, in the Ukrainian territory occupied by Moscow, local occupation authorities said, AFP reported.

Yevhen Balitky with Vladimir Putin in the KremlinPhoto: Mykhailo Klimentiev / Sputnik / Profimedia

According to the investigation, “an improvised explosive device was placed under the car of this member of the precinct election commission.”

“When the woman got into the car (…), the device exploded,” the report added.

The local head of the Russian occupation in this region of southern Ukraine, Yevhen Balytsky, condemned the “terrorist act” and “attempted intimidation” in Telegram a week before the Russian presidential elections on March 15-17, which will also be held in the occupied territories.

Several officials of the Russian occupation or collaborators in Ukraine and annexed Crimea have been killed or injured in terrorist attacks and bombings blamed on Kyiv over the past two years.

In Russia, there have also been attacks or attempted murders of activists who support the attack on Ukraine.