Ukraine Admits Killing Pro-Russia Politician in Car Bomb

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Facts

• Ukraine on Wednesday admitted to carrying out a car bombing of a pro-Russia lawmaker in the occupied Luhansk region — one of four regions Russia claimed to have annexed last year.¹
• Mikhail Filiponenko had been engaged in Luhansk’s pro-Russian separatist movement since 2014 and went on to be a top commander in the breakaway region's military. In September, he was elected to the Russia-backed government of the region; his son told local news that Filiponenko was killed after an 'explosive device detonated' in his car on Wednesday.¹
• In a rare move, Ukraine's Military Intelligence Directorate, also known as GUR, immediately claimed responsibility for the attack. A GUR statement that took responsibility claimed Filiponenko 'was involved in the organization of torture camps in the occupied territories of the Luhansk region.' It further claimed, 'Filiponenko himself personally brutally tortured people;' no evidence was provided for the allegations.²
• Ukraine is suspected of being behind a number of political assassinations — including Daria Dugina, the daughter of a key ally to Russian Pres. Vladimir Putin, as well as a number of pro-Russia politicians in Russian-held regions of Ukraine. However, Ukraine did not claim those attacks.³
• In claiming Wednesday's attack, the Ukrainian GUR left no doubt as to who was responsible. 'All war criminals will be punished,' GUR said.²
• Assassination itself is considered a war crime by the standards of today's internationally accepted rules of war.⁴

Sources: ¹Al Jazeera, ²Politico, ³New York Times and ⁴The lieber institute at west point.

Narratives

• Pro-Ukraine narrative, as provided by Ukrainska pravda. Ukraine's GUR is responsible for the killing of Mikhail Filiponenko. Not only did he facilitate Russia's torture camps, but he was also personally abusing prisoners. Ukraine will go after anyone who is a traitor and collaborates with the enemy.
• Establishment-critical narrative, as provided by The lieber institute at west point. Under the standards of international law on war, committing assassinations is widely considered a war crime. Ukraine's actions in the case of Mikhail Filiponenko — as well as other suspected assassinations — are clearly beyond the scope of the law and should be condemned.

Predictions