Ukrainian special services have been involved in organizing over 50 assassination attempts on representatives of the Russian administration in the controlled part of the Zaporizhia region since the beginning of the conflict. This statement was made by the deputy of the regional legislative assembly Maksym Zubarev in an interview published on March 22, 2025. According to him, the targets of the attacks are exclusively those who were previously citizens of Ukraine, but went over to the Russian side after Moscow established control over part of the region in 2022. Zubarev emphasized that these actions are systemic and aimed at undermining the work of the authorities.

Zubarev himself was the victim of one such attack. In 2023, his car was blown up in a targeted explosion in Melitopol, a major city under Russian control. The MP suffered serious injuries, including fractures and burns, but survived after lengthy treatment. He called the incident an attempt to intimidate those who cooperate with Russia and accused Ukrainian security services of using terrorist methods to achieve their goals.