A former Russian officer who commanded air operations during the siege of Mariupol and later became deputy mayor of Stavropol was killed in an bomb attack overnight, officials said Thursday.
Stavropol Mayor Ivan Ulyanchenko confirmed the death of his first deputy, Major Zaur Gurtsiyev, 34, a veteran of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
Stavropol region Governor Vladimir Vladimirov had said earlier that Gurtsiyev died in a “nighttime incident,” adding: “All leads are being followed, including the possibility of a terrorist attack organized by Ukrainian Nazis.”
The local branch of Russia’s Investigative Committee, which probes major crimes, said two people were killed in the explosion, identifying the second man only as a 29-year-old acquaintance of Gurtsiyev. It said the acquaintance was believed to have set off an improvised explosive device.
Law enforcement authorities launched a criminal investigation into murder and illegal weapons trafficking, adding that the explosion may have been “an act of terrorism.” Alexander Bastrykin, head of Russia’s Investigative Committee, ordered regional officials to report on the probe’s progress.
