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Ex-Occupation Leader Reportedly Killed in Bomb Blast in Luhansk
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![Photo of Ivan Khomenko]( "Photo of Ivan Khomenko")
A former Russian-appointed official who led the occupation administration of Luhansk has been killed in an explosion, according to Russian state and pro-Kremlin sources.
Russian news agency TASS, citing emergency services, reported that Manolis Pilavov died in the blast, which occurred in the center of the temporarily occupied city on July 3.
Telegram channels close to Russian law enforcement, including Baza and Mash, claim the explosion was caused by an improvised explosive device planted at the entrance of Pilavov’s residence on Taras Shevchenko Street. The device reportedly detonated when the door was opened.
According to these reports, Pilavov was killed on the spot, and at least three others were injured. Russia’s Investigative Committee has launched a criminal case in connection with the incident.
Pilavov, born in 1964, held various administrative roles in Luhansk’s municipal structures prior to the war. In 2010, he was elected to a district council representing the Party of Regions.
After Russia-backed forces took control of the city in 2014, he supported the so-called “Luhansk People’s Republic” and took part in public events organized by the occupation authorities.
From 2014 to 2023, Pilavov served as the head of the de facto city administration under Russian control.
In 2015, Ukraine’s Security Service placed Pilavov on its wanted list. He was charged under three articles of Ukraine’s Criminal Code: actions aimed at violently changing the constitutional order, encroachment on the territorial integrity of Ukraine, and creating a terrorist organization.
In 2019, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy imposed a three-year sanctions package against Pilavov. He was later included in the National Security and Defense Council’s sanctions list in 2022 for supporting Russia’s aggression against Ukraine.
No official Ukrainian statement on the explosion has been made as of now.
