Collaborator Tkach killed in car explosion in Melitopol

A powerful explosion has occurred in the centre of the temporarily occupied city of Melitopol. An official representing the occupying authorities was likely inside the car that exploded. Source: RIA Melitopol; Ivan Fedorov, legitimate mayor of Melitopol; Vladimir Rogov, collaborationist

Details: RIA Melitopol, a Russian propaganda news agency reports that a car was blown up in Melitopol at Heroiv Ukrainy Street, 48. The explosion took place in the yard near a nine-story living house. The media reported that an "official" was killed.

Update: Sources of Ukrainska Pravda in the Security Service of Ukraine has confirmed the death of the "official" and reported that it was Ivan Tkach whom the occupiers appointed to the position of director of the "Municipal Unitary Enterprise "City Transport" of the military-civilian administration of Melitopol" from the beginning of September 2022.

The Security Service of Ukraine reported that from the beginning of March 2022, Tkach proactively engaged in the organisation of city passenger transportation under the leadership of Serhii Zolotaryov (the First Deputy of the so-called "Head of the Military Civilian administration of Melitopol").

He established a transport connection with the temporarily occupied territories in Crimea, Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts, which he openly reported in propaganda videos.

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Tkach was involved in the organisation of the transfer of personnel of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation from Donetsk and Kherson oblasts and the temporarily occupied territory of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea to Zaporizhzhia Oblast and back. Using the available vehicle fleet of the City Transport municipal company, he arranged transportation of the Wagner private military company mercenaries to the front line in Zaporizhzhia Oblast.

Details: Collaborationist Vladimir Rogov claimed that Toyota Land Cruiser Prado, which was blown up, belonged to Ivan Tkach. Initially, Rogov said that one person was hurt in the explosion; later, he said that it was two people, a man and a woman. Both were taken to a hospital.

He added that an improvised explosive device was used to blow up the car. Yet Rogov also stated that "according to the preliminary reports, the force of the explosion, which destroyed a car near the market in Kirov Street, was about 1 kg of explosive in the TNT equivalent." There was also information that firefighter and collaborator Dmytro Kucherkov might have been killed in a car explosion.

Dmytro Kucherkov is former acting head of Melitopol City and District Department of the State Emergency Service of Ukraine, who agreed to cooperate with the occupiers.

Telegram channels are publishing photos and videos from the explosion site.  Reminder: It's not the first time that a car is blown up in Melitopol.  A vehicle belonging to Russian occupiers exploded in the centre of the occuied city on 23 December 2022. Andrii Blavatskyy, a policeman recruited by the Russians was among the victims.

Dmytro Trukhin, former MP from Opposition Platform-For Life, a pro-Russian party that is now banned, was wounded in ?n explosion on 15 November; on6 December, the same happened to Mykola Volyk, a local collaborationist.

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