Former Russian submarine commander assassinated

A former Russian submarine commander was shot and killed during a morning run in the southern city of Krasnodar.

The Russian Investigative Committee has opened an investigation into the assassination of Stanislav Rzhitsky, an official in the recruitment office and a former deputy commander of Russia’s submarines, TASS news agency reported.

According to the investigative agency, the body of Mr. Rzhitsky, 42, was discovered on the morning of July 10 near Beregovaya Road with gunshot wounds.

The investigating agency has identified the suspects in the assassination of Mr. Rzhitsky. Russian media say the suspect may have used Strava – an app popular with runners – to track him.

This is because Mr. Rzhitsky’s running track shows up in the app under the account that bears his name. One of his favorite runs includes the park where he was murdered on July 10.

The Tsargrad news site commented that the suspect had planned very carefully and pointed out when Mr. Rzhitsky ran into an area without any security cameras.

“The suspect was waiting in the park, near the Olympus sports center, where Mr. Rzhitsky used to do morning exercises. He died at the scene while the suspect fled,” Tsargrad said.

The Defense Intelligence Service of Ukraine later said on Telegram that: “A former Russian submarine commander was exercising in a park in Krasnodar. Around 6 o’clock, he was shot 7 times with a Makarov gun and died in the park. place”.

The notice added: “Due to the rain, the park was very empty, so there were no witnesses.” The notice did not mention which party might be responsible for the attack. The Ukrainian military later denied involvement.

“So far, Russian police have not been able to find any surveillance cameras recording the progress of the case. The search continues,” said Anton Gerashchenko, an adviser to the Interior Ministry of Ukraine.

According to Russian and Ukrainian media, Rzhitsky once commanded one of the Kilo-class submarines of Russia’s Black Sea Fleet. This is a submarine capable of launching Kalibr cruise missiles.

Mr. Rzhitsky’s family said he did not participate in any way in Russia’s special military operation in Ukraine. Rzhitsky’s father said he used to pilot a Russian submarine stationed in Sevastopol, Crimea.

Mr. Rzhitsky sought to withdraw from the armed forces by the end of 2021. In August 2022, he left the army, then took a job in the Krasnodar city government.

According to information from his family, the day before the assassination, Mr. Rzhitsky was still happy, without any unusual expression.

“If there was a suspicion of being followed, my son would change his course or somehow, but I didn’t see what Rzhitsky said,” Rzhitsky’s father said.

Authorities are searching for suspects and investigating motives for the assassination.

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