Kiev, Ukraine
CNN
–
The Russian lieutenant governor and prominent veterans of the Moscow war in Ukraine were killed in an explosion in southern Russia early Thursday, authorities said.
Zaur Aleksandrovich Gurtsiev, 29, died along with another man who exploded on the streets of Stavropol, and investigators said they “committed using a homemade explosive device.”
“As part of the investigation, the scene of the incident has been inspected and tested, and necessary investigative measures are being implemented to establish all circumstances of the incident,” the Russian commission on Investigation said in a statement Thursday.
Video footage distributed online shows the show at the moment of the explosion, as if they meet another man on a dark street near a parked line of cars.
After the explosion, the footage appears to appear to Gurthiev lying on the ground, but the second man is shaken by the explosion.
The man who died in the explosion in Stavropol along with Gatsev had rented an apartment in a building near the scene of the incident, emergency services told state media outlet Tas.
“All versions of the terrorist attacks, including organizations involving Ukraine, are considered,” the Telegram Regional Governor wrote on Telegram.
Gurtsiev participated in the “Heroes Time of Heroes” programme established by President Vladimir Putin, which was used to promote veterans of the Russian war in Ukraine to official government status. His appointment as deputy district governor was personally announced by Putin.
According to the Time of Heroes website, “Gurtsiev led the air part of the operation to free Mariupol despite his relatively young age.”
“He introduced the development of technology to target missiles, which allowed him to increase accuracy and effectiveness multiple times, including attacking Azov’s supply base.”
Russian troops seized control of the port city of Mariupol in 2022 after 86 days of brutal siege since Moscow began a full-scale invasion of Ukraine more than three years ago.
According to UN estimates, 90% of residential buildings were damaged or destroyed in Mariupol during the Russian attack, forcing around 350,000 of the population of around 430,000 people to flee.
Ukrainian President Voldimer Zelensky said in an interview earlier this year that 20,000 civilians are believed to have been killed, but that the number of deaths cannot be independently verified. Ukrainian officials accused Moscow of trying to hide evidence of civilian casualties, the Kremlin claims it has denied.
Gurtsiev is the latest in many Russian military personnel killed domestically in the past year at a time when the effects of the Moscow war were increasingly felt within the country.
Last month, Russian authorities accused “Ukrainian Special Service Agents” of terrorism after being detained in connection with a car explosion that killed Russian General Yaroslav Moskarik, the main operational director of the Russian military’s general staff.
And in February, Amen Sarkishan, the founder of a pro-Russian militia group in eastern Ukraine, was described by Kiev authorities as the “criminal mastermind” – died after the bombing in central Moscow. The bombing took place in a luxury residential complex in the capital, state media outlet TASS reported at the time.
