Bashtanka Mayor on attempt on his life: “Revenge for my pro-Ukraine stance”

Oleksandr Berehovyi, the Mayor of Bashtanka in Mykolaiv region, believes the assassination attempt against him could be a revenge for his firm pro-Ukraine position and the efforts of the City Hall to prioritize assistance to the Armed Forces over addressing municipal issues.

The official spoke in an exclusive comment to an Ukrinform correspondent.

"Law enforcement agencies are dealing with what happened. I can only assume that it was revenge for my pro-Ukrainian position and for the fact that the priorities of the municipal authorities now focus on helping the Armed Forces. Already this year, despite the difficulty in filling the budget, the community allocated UAH 25 million to help the Defense Forces, and this work continues," said Berehovyi.

He also noted that there are people in Bashtanka who want funds from the budget to go primarily to solving utility issues, such as water and electricity supplies, etc. At the same time, his position remains unchanged: “Helping the Armed Forces comes before everything else.”

He says that no one directly threatened him, although he is often subjected to slander on social media.

"These people are afraid to come out and voice their claims – they hide behind aliases," says the mayor.

He also told about the details of assassination attempt that took place on Tuesday when someone hurled an explosive device into his backyard.

The blast went off minutes after he drove home, parked the car in the backyard, and got into the house.

"It was quite powerful, it stunned me, my wife and children, but everyone is safe and sound, everything is fine," said Berehovyi.

According to the official, this is the first time someone tried to hurt him, adding that he has no security guards around him and neither does he have an intention to apply for protection.

As reported, in the city of Bashtanka, Mykolaiv region, an explosive device was thrown into the backyard of the mayor’s home. The police inquiry is underway.