Ukrainian military authorities said that partisans had bombed a Russian military headquarters in the occupied city of Melitopol, killing three officers, the latest in a series of attacks aimed at weakening Russia's grip on the territory it controls even as Kyiv's counter offensive has effectively stalled.
Melitopol, in southern Ukraine near the Sea of Azov, was captured by Russia early in the war, and remains a center for Russian forces and pro-Moscow authorities seeking to assert their control and promote Russian culture and identity. As such, it is also a hotbed of attempted sabotage and assassinations by anti-Russian partisans hoping to disrupt the Kremlin's control.
Since early in Russia's invasion, partisan activity has been a feature of Ukraine's military action in territory seized by Moscow, which represents around one-fifth of Ukrainian territory. That has included a series of attacks against Ukrainian politicians who have collaborated with the Russian authorities. Those attacks appear to have gathered intensity in recent weeks, coupled with missile and drone strikes against Russian military infrastructure.
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