Ukraine Takes Responsibility for Car Bombing of Russian Proxy Politician

Ukraine has claimed responsibility for the assassination of a Russia-backed politician and former militia leader, Mikhail Filiponenko, who was killed in a car bomb attack in eastern Ukraine. The Ukrainian military intelligence directorate stated that it carried out a "special operation to eliminate" Filiponenko in collaboration with representatives of the resistance movement. This comes as several high-profile backers of Russia's assault on Ukraine have been targeted since last year, although direct claims of responsibility by Kyiv are uncommon. Filiponenko was a deputy in the pro-Moscow Luhansk regional parliament and a former head of a Moscow-backed separatist militia.