KYIV - A local official in a part of Ukraine’s southern Kherson region controlled by Russian forces was killed on Thursday in a car bomb attack, the Russian-installed local administration said.

It blamed the death of Andrei Shlepa on “Ukrainian terrorists”.

There was no immediate comment on the incident from Ukrainian authorities.

Ukrainian media reports about Shlepa’s death referred to him as “an occupier” and as someone who had actively collaborated with Russian forces.

Unverified video footage of the alleged attack posted online showed thick grey smoke and flames rising into the air above a car.

Kyiv has said it plans to retake by force all territory seized by Russian troops since they invaded on Feb 24 in what Moscow called “a special military operation” to ensure its own security.

Shlepa is the latest in a number of Russian-installed officials to die in murky circumstances.

In November, Kirill Stremousov, deputy head of the Russian-installed local administration in Kherson, died in a car crash despite travelling in an armoured car, and other Russian-installed officials have been hurt or killed in bomb blasts. REUTERS