Russian occupation official in Berdyansk reportedly killed in Ukrainian intelligence operation

Mykhailo Hrytsai, the Russian-installed deputy mayor of Berdyansk, a city in the Russian-occupied part of Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia region, has been killed, Ukraine’s Main Intelligence Directorate (HUR) reported on Wednesday.

The agency’s statement did not say who was behind the killing. However, the newspaper Ukrainska Pravda, citing a source in the intelligence community, reported that Hrytsai was shot dead in a special operation carried out by the HUR.

According to the HUR’s statement, Hrytsai “voluntarily began cooperating with the Russian occupiers after the city was seized in 2022 and was given a position in the occupation administration.” It also alleged that he was “effectively looting state property.”

Russian officials have not commented on the reports of Hrytsai’s death.