Kirill Stremousov was one of the most important Russian officials in Ukraine, holding the position of deputy head of the Kherson military-civil administration since April 26th. His death in a car accident was confirmed by his boss Vladimir Saldo, the Russian-installed interim governor of Kherson. Stremousov went from being an obscure local blogger and politician prior to the February 24 Russian invasion to becoming the number two figure in what for Ukraine is an illegal occupation of the region.
He was a very visible face on social media, where he often exposed himself with statements in favor of Moscow. Most recently, a few hours before his death, he denounced what he called Ukrainian “Nazis” and said that the Russian army had “full control” of the situation in the south. Ukraine considered him a collaborator and a traitor, so much so that he was searched for for treason. “It is very difficult for me to say that Kirill Stremousov died today. He died on the territory of the Kherson region, while traveling in a car that had an accident, ”said Saldo, his boss. Stremousov’s death exacerbated the sense of disorder surrounding the defense of Kherson, from which Russia evacuated thousands of residents in anticipation of a Ukrainian counter-offensive.
Portrait of a controversial character
Stremousov was a controversial figure even before the Russian occupation. Born in Holmivskyi, Donetsk Oblast, he had initially worked as a fisheries inspector, but resigned in 2007, launching a nutritionist blog, where he encouraged people to eat clay. Over the years he had embraced more and more conspiracy theories and esoteric. Returning from a long trip to the United States, he had joined the Association of Social Security Partisans, a Russian pagan and anti-Semitic movement. In increasingly pro-Russian positions, Stremousov then tried various political avenues, in a career as an agitator that also included the beating of a policeman and a shooting at the headquarters of a local newspaper in Kherson. He also caused a lot of discussion about a chilling video on Youtube, in which he spun his four-month-old daughter in the air, claiming that her bones could be heard creaking and that this was good for “blood circulation.” In 2019, Stremousouv ran as an independent candidate in the elections for mayor of Kherson, winning only 2% of the vote. Then, during the pandemic, he had become an active supporter of No vax theories.
Controversial views on the pandemic
During the Covid-19 pandemic, Stremousov began promoting anti-vaccination beliefs and conspiracy theories about the virus. In his videos he accused the authorities of spreading Covid, spoke of “US biolabs in Ukraine” and urged residents not to wear masks and to respect restrictions.
Stremousov’s life since the beginning of the Russian invasion in Ukraine
After February 24 and since the Kherson region was occupied by the Russians, Stremousov took a pro-Russian position. On March 16, 2022, together with other local pro-Russian activists, he holds a meeting of the Collaborationist Salvation Committee for Peace and Order, in the regional administration building. For this reason, the following day, the Ukrainian government accuses him of treason and initiates a criminal case against him.
The Kremlin decides to appoint him vice-president of the Kherson Civil-Military Administration on April 26, and, demonstrating his intention to separate from Ukraine, on April 28 Stremousov announces that from May the region would change its currency into Russian ruble, arguing that “reintegrating the Kherson region into a Nazi Ukraine is out of the question”.
Just a month ago, during the ongoing counter-offensive in the region, he expressed his dissatisfaction with the “incompetent commanders” and accused the Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu of having “allowed this situation to happen”, adding that many suggest the minister to shoot himself .