On Tuesday, the Ukraine’s National Resistance Center, an official entity, reported an act of sabotage in the occupied southern Ukrainian city of Nova Kakhovka in the Kherson region. According to the Center, Ukrainian resistance forces detonated an office belonging to Russian President Vladimir Putin’s “United Russia” party. The motive behind the attack was cited as an attempt to disrupt the purportedly fraudulent election proceedings in the occupied city, as preparations for the Russian presidential elections slated for March were underway.
Operated by Ukraine’s Special Forces, the National Resistance Center issued a call to Ukrainian citizens residing in the occupied territories, urging them to abstain from participating in the upcoming Russian election. Additionally, a warning was issued, cautioning that individuals collaborating in the organization of the election process would be held accountable for their involvement.
Marina Zakharova, head of the Russian-appointed Electoral Commission of the Kherson region, addressed the incident in a video message, attributing the destruction of precinct commission premises in Nova Kakhovka to what she described as a “terrorist attack by Ukraine.” She highlighted that the attack occurred on the first day of early voting in the presidential elections, particularly affecting settlements in hard-to-reach areas and those situated along the military contact line.
Zakharova further noted that this incident was not an isolated one, citing another instance where an enemy shell exploded near a territorial election commission in the Holoprystanskyi municipal district, also located in the Kherson region.
Confirming the attacks, Vladimir Saldo, the Russian-appointed acting head of the Kherson region administration, asserted that the assaults were carried out using drones. Despite the destruction caused, Saldo reassured that there were no reported casualties following the attacks and shared footage of the aftermath on his Telegram channel.