One of Vladimir Putin’s ‘war heroes’ – who was behind the deadly strikes on Mariupol in 2022 – has been killed by a ‘suicide bomber’ in Russia.
Zaur Aleksandrovich Gurtsiev died alongside another man in an explosion,which investigators said ‘committed using a homemade device’,in the city of Stavropol yesterday.
The 34-year-old had met the other man in a darkened street,near a row of parked cars.
Footage shows him walking towards the veteran just moments before the supposed grenade is detonated.
After the blast,Gurtsiev is seen lying on the ground,while the second man is rocked back by the explosion.
Multiple reports from Russian news outlets linked to law enforcement have identified the second man identified as Nikita Penkov,29.
Gurtsiev on a ‘Heroes of special operation Z; placard (Picture: social media /east2west news)
Russian Telegram channel Baza showed a blurred image which may have contained the explosive device.
It reported that the blast ‘tore Penkov apart’,while Gurtsiev was still alive for some time.
Shot media reported: ‘In the first seconds,he tried to crawl away from the scene of the tragedy.
‘The IED was in Nikita Penkov’s bag. The device was shell-less,which is why there was no debris left at the scene after the explosion.’
Authorities have now opened a criminal investigation after the death of the two men.
The moment of the explosion in the city of Stavropol (Picture: IC /east2west news)
Regional governor Vladimir Vladimirov said: ‘All versions are being considered,including the organisation of a terrorist attack involving Nazis from Ukraine.’
Gurtsiev is the latest in a number of Russian military figures to have been killed inside the country over the past year.
He has been credited with leading the bombardment on the Ukrainian city of Mariupol,during which at least 22,000 civilians over three months.
The veteran was awarded a medal for bravery over his role in the airstrikes,which Ukraine later classified as a war crime.
In October 2024,Putin even named him First Deputy Head of Stavropol. He also won a Military Merit award for the capture of Avdiivka.
Gurtsiev had participated in the ‘Time of Heroes’ program,e set up by the Russian president,used to promote veterans of Russia’s war in Ukraine to official positions in the government.
According to the Time of Heroes website,‘Gurtsiev,despite his relatively young age,led the air part of the operation to liberate Mariupol.’
It added: ‘He introduced his developments in the technology of targeting missiles,which allowed them to increase their accuracy and effectiveness many times over,including hitting the Azov supply base.’
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