Photo: national police
A car explosion occurred in Odesa early on Friday, February 6, killing a 21-year-old man, Ukraine’s National Police in Odesa Region reported.
The blast happened at around 5:00 a.m. on Akademika Korolyova Street, near a residential building where the car’s owner lived. A Toyota vehicle exploded, resulting in the owner’s death at the scene.
The Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) in Odesa Region later stated that the incident has been classified as a terrorist act, and a criminal investigation has been launched. According to the outlet Dumska, the victim was a serviceman, who worked as a canine handler in Ukraine’s Border Guard Service.
“The Security Service of Ukraine, together with the National Police, is carrying out comprehensive measures to establish all the circumstances of the incident and identify those involved. The pre-trial investigation is ongoing under Article 258 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine (terrorist act),” the SBU said in a statement.
Background
In early January, a similar incident occurred in Kyiv, where a car explosion injured a National Guard serviceman. The following day, police detained a Kyiv resident. According to investigators, the woman agreed to manufacture an explosive device and plant it under the serviceman’s car in exchange for $1,500.
