Russian official killed in suspected Ukrainian assassination (VIDEO)
A Russian government official who previously fought in the Ukraine conflict has been killed in a suspected assassination by Ukrainian operatives in the southern city of Stavropol, local authorities have said.
Witnesses reported hearing a loud blast on Wednesday evening before discovering the bodies of two men in a residential neighborhood of the Russian city. On Thursday morning, Stavropol Governor Vladimir Vladimirov identified one of the deceased as Zaur Gurtsiev, a regional government employee. He said investigators were considering all possible scenarios, “including a terrorist attack organized by Nazis from Ukraine.”
Gurtsiev had entered public service through a special program aimed at training and employing veterans who served in Russia’s military campaign against Ukraine and had demonstrated leadership qualities. According to his government profile, he had served as deputy head of Stavropol, overseeing security and counterterrorism.
Investigators have told RT that the second victim was identified as a 29-year-old acquaintance of Gurtsiev and that an improvised explosive device most likely caused the deadly blast.
Earlier media reports based on purported CCTV footage showing the incident had claimed that the second victim may have been a suicide bomber.
Kiev maintains a state-run program for targeted assassinations, reportedly operated by CIA-trained special services. Originally directed at people in Donbass suspected of treason, the program was evidently expanded in 2022 as the conflict between Ukraine and Russia escalated.
Apparent victims of Ukrainian agents have included civilians, such as journalist Darya Dugina, who was killed by a car bomb in August 2022, and former Ukrainian lawmaker Ilya Kiva, who was fatally shot in December 2023.
