A woman who was allegedly assisting the Russian authorities in organizing elections in occupied Ukraine was killed in a car bombing, according to an exiled Ukrainian official.
Olena Ilina was reportedly killed in Berdiansk, a city bordering the Black Sea, approximately 40 miles southwest of Mariupol. Viktoriia Halitsina head of the Berdiansk City Military Administration announced the death on Telegram, according to the Kyiv Independent.
Russia's presidential election will be held between March 15 and 17 and will almost certainly result in another victory for Vladimir Putin.
The Ukrainian government has condemned Russia's decision to hold elections in the occupied Ukrainian territories of Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhya and Kherson - saying that the results would be "null and void."
"Any election in Russia has nothing to do with democracy. They serve only as a tool to keep the Russian regime in power," Ukraine's foreign ministry said in December, according to Reuters.
The Ukrainian foreign ministry also urged foreign governments to not send election observers to the upcoming presidential voting - adding that anyone who did come would "face criminal responsibility."
Halitsina shared video footage of a damaged car that allegedly belonged to Ilina on Telegram. She claimed that the bomb went off when Ilina entered her vehicle, the Kyiv Independent reported.
Haltsina also reportedly told Ukrainians in occupied territories to avoid large crowds and polling stations, warning that Russian forces would increase their presence ahead of the election.
