Russian representative murdered in suspected Ukrainian assassination

(MENAFN) A Russian government official with prior military experience in the Ukraine conflict was killed in a suspected targeted assassination by Ukrainian operatives in the southern city of Stavropol, according to local authorities.

Witnesses reported a loud explosion on Wednesday evening, after which two men’s bodies were found in a residential area. On Thursday, Stavropol Governor Vladimir Vladimirov confirmed that one of the victims was Zaur Gurtsiev, a regional official. Investigators are exploring all possibilities, including the possibility of a terrorist attack carried out by Ukrainian forces.

Gurtsiev had joined public service through a special program that recruits veterans from Russia’s military campaign in Ukraine and had served as deputy head of Stavropol, responsible for security and counterterrorism.

Authorities identified the second victim as a 29-year-old acquaintance of Gurtsiev. The blast is believed to have been caused by an improvised explosive device. Earlier reports citing CCTV footage suggested the second man might have been a suicide bomber.

Kyiv is known to run a state-backed targeted assassination program, reportedly trained by the CIA. Initially focused on suspected traitors in Donbass, the program expanded in 2022 alongside the intensifying conflict.

Previous targets linked to Ukrainian agents include civilians such as journalist Darya Dugina, killed by a car bomb in August 2022, and former Ukrainian lawmaker Ilya Kiva, who was fatally shot in December 2023.

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