Two Putin Allies Killed Within Hours of Each Other

Two allies of Russian President Vladimir Putin were killed within hours of each other Wednesday as the war between Russia and Ukraine rages on.

Kyiv officials took credit for the killing of ex-Ukrainian politician Illia Kyva, a 46-year-old pro-Russia politician, whose body was found in a suburb near Moscow. According to a report from Agence France-Presse, an official with Ukraine's defense sector said that the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) had orchestrated the assassination. The Russian Investigative Committee also told the news outlet that an "unknown person fired shots" at the former lawmaker and that a case had been opened into his death.

Kyva was kicked out of Ukraine's parliament a few weeks after Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 and relocated to Russia, reported The New York Times. A Ukrainian court convicted Kyva in November, in absentia, to 14 years in prison on charges of treason and attempted violent overthrowing of the government.

Speaking with national broadcasters Wednesday, Ukrainian military intelligence spokesperson Andriy Yusov hinted at Kyiv's involvement in Kyva's death.

"We can confirm that Kyva is done," Yusov said. "Such a fate will befall other traitors of Ukraine, as well as the henchmen of the Putin regime."

Yusov also called Kyva "one of the biggest scumbags, traitors and collaborators," per Agence France-Presse's report.

Newsweek reached out to the SBU via email on Wednesday evening for further information.

Russian outlets also reported that Oleg Popov, former deputy of parliament for the Russian-occupied Luhansk People's Republic (LPR), was killed in a car explosion Wednesday. The LPR was established after Putin illegally annexed four Ukrainian regions in fall 2022.

Law enforcement agencies told the Russian state-owned media outlet TASS that Popov was killed near the Avangard stadium in the city of Luhansk. Yuri Yurov, deputy of the LPR's parliament, also confirmed Popov's death on his Telegram channel.

"As a result of a car explosion near the Avangard stadium in Lugansk, our colleague, a deputy of the People's Council of the LPR ... a member of the Donbass People's Militia, who stood up for the defense of the Republic from the first days, Oleg Nikolaevich Popov, died," Yurov wrote.

According to Yurov's post, an individual employed by the Ukrainian SBU was detained in September 2022, accused of attempting to assassinate Popov. Ukrainian officials have not taken responsibility for Popov's death at this time.

Kyiv has previously taken credit for the assassination of several pro-Russian officials since the start of the war in Ukraine. Moscow-backed officials have also been repeatedly targeted by Ukrainian partisans in Russia-occupied areas of Ukraine.

Last month, LPR lawmaker Mikhail Filiponenko was killed in a car bomb attack in the city of Luhansk. A spokesperson for Kyiv's military intelligence later told Politico over the phone that the assassination was organized by Ukraine.

"Yeah, it was our operation," said Andriy Cherniak, representative of Ukraine's Military Intelligence Directorate.

An email was also sent to Russia's Foreign Ministry for comment Wednesday evening.