‘Traitor’ Ukraine police chief who defected to Russia killed in explosion

Melitopol mayor calls slain police officer ‘traitor’ who defected to Russia after invasion

A police officer who defected to Russia was killed in an explosion in the occupied Ukrainian city of Melitopol on Thursday.

Oleksandr Mishchenko succumbed to his grievous injuries after an improvised device exploded at the entrance to the block where he lived.

Mishchenko used to head the police department in Melitopol but reportedly shifted his allegiance after Vladimir Putin's forces captured the city following Russia's unprovoked invasion that began in February last year.