Fears spies signalled deadly strike on Mykolaiv

Claims of Russian sabotage after grain trader targeted

Witnesses saw torches lighting up the home of Ukraine’s biggest grain trader hours before he was killed by a Russian missile, in what may have been a targeted strike called in by Russian spies.

Oleksiy Vadatursky, 74, the founder and owner of the agriculture company Nibulon, and his wife Raisa were killed when a missile hit their house in the southern city of Mykolaiv yesterday.

Vadatursky, one of the largest farmers in the country, was killed as Ukraine prepared to resume grain exports following a United Nations and Turkish-brokered deal to ease a Russian maritime blockade, prompting allegations the Kremlin was trying to sabotage the agreement.

“Vadatursky was one of the largest farmers in the country, a key person in the region and a large employer,” said Myhailo Podolyak, an adviser to President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. “The accurate missile didn’t just hit the house, but a specific wing — the bedroom — which leaves no doubts about the guidance of the strike.”

The claim gained backing from a group of foreign mercenaries based in a neighbouring compound who also came under attack.

Daniel Burke, a former British paratrooper who leads the Dark Angels, said the group noticed torches being flashed at both compounds before the missiles hit.

Asked if he was sure the torches were shone by Russian spies he said: “One hundred per cent. Drones see an aerial view. Boots on the ground work for the Russians. [They] go to POIS — a ‘point of interest’. When they see activity from a certain POI they light the place up. The Russian UAV sees and relays to the strike unit.”

Fears about Russian saboteurs have surged in recent weeks. Zelenskyy last month fired the head of the SBU, Ukraine’s security service, over allegations it had been infiltrated. Vitaly Kim, the Governor of Mykolaiv region, said in a recent interview with the Daily Telegraph that he was planning to shut down the city to flush out Russian spies providing targeting information.

He said: “I suspect everybody. But we have only a few of them in our city. Even one of them can give many points to the Russians so we are searching for the bad ones.”

Ukraine is one of the world’s leading grain producers. It has accused Russia of blockading its exports in a bid to throttle its economy and pile pressure on the West by creating a global food crisis. Turkey and the United Nations brokered a deal that was signed separately by Ukraine and Russia to allow the safe passage of grain last month. Russia struck the port of Odesa shortly after the deal was reached.

A spokesman for Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said yesterday that the first grain-exporting ship could leave Ukrainian ports today. Zelenskyy said the country’s harvest could be half its usual amount this year due to the Russian invasion.

Oleksandr Sienkevych, the Mayor of Mykolaiv, described attacks as “probably the most powerful” the city had endured in the five months since Russia invaded Ukraine.

Hanna Zamazieieva, the head of the Mykolaiv Regional Council, said: “My city, the hero city of Mykolaiv, is becoming a second Mariupol”.

Besides the Vadatursky house, a hotel, a sports complex, a dentist and medical facility, as well as two schools were also destroyed. Many residential buildings that were not directly hit were damaged by the shockwave and debris of the strikes.

Russia initially tried and failed to seize the city and its bridges over the Southern Bug River in February. They were defeated and pushed back.

Military officials say Russia has stepped up its bombardment over the past few weeks, apparently in response to a Ukrainian counteroffensive to retake Kherson, 56km to the southeast.

Up to 50 Grad rockets also hit residential areas in southern city Nikopol yesterday, wounding one.

Kyiv officials ordered a mandatory evacuation of civilians from the Ukrainian-held part of Donetsk region yesterday, saying there would be no heating or energy supplies during winter months. About 200,000 people will have to be moved, officials said.

Russia is attempting to advance in Donetsk, which it claims it wants to “liberate”. — Telegraph Group Ltd