A retired Russian commandant who led airstrikes connected the Ukrainian larboard metropolis of Mariupol died successful a blast aboriginal Thursday successful Stavropol successful confederate Russia, authorities said.
Zaur Gurtsiev, 34, received respective medals for participating successful Russia's grueling assaults connected the cities of Mariupol and Avdiivka.
Authorities did not accidental what caused the explosion, but besides did not regularisation retired that Ukraine was responsible. Videos posted by Russian Telegram channels showed 2 men, 1 of them Gurtsiev, lasting unneurotic successful a residential vicinity earlier a blast.
A drawstring of high-profile Russian servicemen person been killed successful Russia since the Kremlin launched its full-scale subject violative connected Ukraine in February 2022.
In December, the caput of the Russian military's biologic and chemic weapons unit, Lt. General Igor Kirillov, was killed on with his lawman successful an detonation successful Moscow, Russia's Investigative Committee said astatine the time. More recently, successful April, an explosive instrumentality successful Moscow killed a elder Russian general, General-Lieutenant Yaroslav Moskalik, the lawman caput of the main operational directorate of the military's wide staff, according to Russia's investigative committee.
Kyiv has successful immoderate cases claimed work oregon reveled successful the attacks, calling them "legitimate targets" fixed Moscow's three-year violative has killed tens of thousands. Ukrainian information forces told CBS News aft Kirillov's decease that Security Service of Ukraine killed him successful a peculiar operation, a assertion that could not beryllium independently verified but sparked Russian calls for revenge against Ukrainian leaders.
"Our hero, seasoned of the peculiar subject cognition and subordinate successful the Time of Heroes programme, Zaur Alexandrovich Gurtsiev, has died," said Stavropol portion politician Vladimir Vladimirov, utilizing Russia's word for its Ukraine offensive.
"All versions are being considered, including the organisation of a violent onslaught involving Nazis from Ukraine," helium added, echoing the Kremlin's assertion that it is warring neo-Nazis successful Ukraine.
The veteran's 29-year-old acquaintance died alongside him, Stavropol instrumentality enforcement said.
The Time of Heroes is the Kremlin's programme aimed to boost the careers of veterans stringently chosen to go portion of Russia's aboriginal elite.
Gurtsiev was serving arsenic Stavropol's lawman mayor.
He had commanded Moscow's aerial battle connected the Ukrainian larboard metropolis of Mariupol, a bustling Black Sea metropolis devastated by Russian airstrikes.
Russian forces rolled into Mariupol astatine the opening of 2022 and imposed a brutal siege for astir 3 months that resulted successful 8,000 deaths, according to Human Rights Watch.
The siege included a deadly airstrike connected a theatre wherever civilians were hiding.
Ukraine does not typically remark connected clandestine operations connected the enemy's territory.
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