A car bomb killed at least one person on Friday night in Russian-occupied southern Ukraine, according to Ukrainian and Russian officials, highlighting the war’s reach far beyond the front lines as Ukrainian partisans aim to undermine their occupiers. The blast occurred in Mykhailivka, a town in Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia region. Vladimir Rogov, a Russian occupation official in the Zaporizhzhia region, confirmed the attack in a Telegram post, saying the bomb killed a “local businessman” named Sergei Didovoduk and injured two others. The attack comes as Ukrainian forces are preparing for a highly anticipated counteroffensive that analysts believe will take place in southern Ukraine. Kyiv’s troops will probably aim to sever the land routes that connect Russia to Crimea, which Moscow illegally annexed in 2014, according to analysts and Western officials.

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Persons: ”, Ivan Fedorov, Vladimir Rogov, Sergei Didovoduk Organizations: Kremlin, Western Locations: Ukraine, Mykhailivka, Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia, Ukrainian, Russian, Melitopol, Zaporizhzhia, Russia, Crimea, Moscow