Russian official linked to Mariupol bombings killed in Stavropol grenade explosion
Zaur Gurtsiev, a Russian deputy mayor of Stavropol and key figure in the 2022 Mariupol bombings, died in a grenade explosion near an apartment building overnight into Thursday, May 29, with Russian authorities investigating possible Ukrainian involvement, regional governor Vladimir Vladimirov reported on Telegram.
The blast is under investigation, with theories including a terrorist act by “Ukrainian Nazis,” said the official.
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View in Telegram.The explosion occurred near a residential building on Chekhov Street, killing Gurtsiev and another man sitting on a bench, reportedly drinking alcohol, according to Telegram channel Shot.
Telegram channel Mash noted that the attacker’s identity remains unknown.
The website of Russian President Vladimir Putin's Time of Heroes initiative states that Gurtsiev was in charge of the air part of the strikes on Mariupol, news outlet Agentstvo reported. He allegedly "implemented his developments in the technology of targeting missiles, which allowed to increase their accuracy and efficiency many times over, in particular, to hit the Azov supply base."
During the bombing of Mariupol, thousands of people died under the rubble. One of the bombs destroyed the Mariupol Drama Theater, where, according to Associated Press estimates, up to 600 people were killed.