PUPPET DEAD
Putin-installed leader KILLED in mystery crash in Kherson after warning civilians to flee key city
VLADIMIR Putin's puppet leader in occupied Kherson was killed in a mystery "car crash" today.
Former YouTuber Kirill Stremousov - reviled for a sick stunt swinging a baby round his head - had urged civilians to flee their homes while pumping out twisted pro-regime propaganda.
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The exact circumstances of his death were unclear, but it came as Russian troops retreat in disarray from Kherson city.
Today Russia surrendered the major city - the gateway to Crimea - as General Armageddon began pulling all his troops to the opposite bank of the Dnipro river.
Deputy governor Stremousov, 45, had posted videos from speeding vehicles on the road while claiming Russia was winning the fight.
And earlier today he made unsubstantiated claims British and Polish mercenaries were driving the Ukrainian advance, offering no proof.
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He also insisted Russia was in "full control" of the situation despite the chaotic retreat and forced deportation of tens of thousands of civilians.
”Many have left. About 80,000 people were evacuated. We help everyone who wants to leave Kherson. I am now in Kherson myself,” he said in one of his final social media posts.
Stremousov was killed today near Henichesk, 130 miles from Kherson city on the border with Crimea, his personal driver told the War Gonzo blog.
Vladimir Saldo, the Kremlin-installed acting governor of Kherson region, confirmed his deputy was dead.
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He said: "It is very hard for me to say that Kirill Stremousov died today. He died on the territory of the Kherson region, travelling in a car that got into an accident."
Ukrainian sources hinted the turncoat Putin mouthpiece might have been deliberately killed by the Russians.
Blogger and politician Anatoly Shariy said: “Several sources confirmed the death of Stremousov.
“If this is true, then I understand what kind of ‘traffic accident’ this was right now when the surrender of Kherson is obvious.”
He added: "And the main thing - if he was killed, and exactly in the way I was told it happened - then it was no Ukrainian Army spies killing him."
Political analyst Sergey Markov claimed a Russian commander was in the car with Stremousov and survived.
He said: "It's all very strange.
“He kept saying that Kherson could not be handed over and it would not be handed over.
“He died on the day when they began to actively talk about the surrender of Kherson.
“He died not from a terrorist attack, but in an accident. Not in Kherson, but in Henichesk.
“With him in the car was a military commander Kotz, he did not die.
“All this is very strange.”
Former fish food tycoon Stremousov was wanted for treason in Kyiv for siding with Russia after the invasion.
He reportedly once worked as a handyman and motivational speaker in the US and was a high-profile backer of pro-Putin Ukraine president Viktor Yanukovich who was overthrown in 2014.
He has also once beat a policeman in a brawl at a city council meeting, shot up a newspaper office and was involved in an attack on a police convoy.
The convicted hooligan was also thrown out of Ukraine's socialist party and later failed to get elected to parliament.
Vile video stunt
In 2017 he sparked outrage worldwide after a YouTube video of him swinging his four-month-old daughter round his head.
He said he could hear “her bones are popping” and claimed it promoted health.
He had virtually no political experience and was mostly known for spreading Covid conspiracies when he was appointed deputy governor in May.
Since then he has become an outspoken figurehead for Putin's occupation and illegal annexation of four regions.
He also reportedly made enemies in the Russian armed forces after blaming battlefield setbacks on “untalented military commanders”.
And he suggested Putin's close pal, bumbling defence minister Sergei Shoigu, should "shoot himself".
In August Stremousov's boss, acting governor Vladimir Saldo, mysteriously vanished from public view amid claims he survived two assassination attempts.
The former mayor of Kherson was rushed to hospital after allegedly being poisoned by a chef, less than a month after a foiled car bomb plot.
Dmitry Savluchenko, another official of the Kherson military administration, was killed in a bomb blast in July.
Kherson was the only major city taken by Russia after the invasion in February.
Since then it has seen regular civilian protests against the occupation which have been violently put down by the army.
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It follows a string of mystery deaths of people linked to Putin this year.
Last week the judge who sentenced captured Brits to death was shot and critically wounded in eastern Ukraine.
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