At night on May 29, in Stavropol, the city’s deputy mayor and the head of the air operation for the Russian forces’ capture of Mariupol, Zaur Gurtsiev, was killed, reported Stavropol Governor Vladimir Vladimirov, writes The Moscow Times.
The “hero of the Special Military Operation” was blown up near his home on Chekhov Street. Footage posted on social media shows a man approaching the 32-year-old Gurtsiev, after which an explosion occurred. According to Shot, the perpetrator was 29-year-old Nikita Penkov, who activated an explosive device attached to his body. According to Interfax, the attacker held a grenade that exploded, killing both men.
“Investigative actions are underway. All versions are being considered, including the organization of a terrorist act involving Ukrainian nationalists,” Vladimirov wrote in his Telegram channel.
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Mash, citing neighbors of the deceased, writes that Penkov had rented an apartment on the seventh floor of the same building where the victim lived for a long time. Security forces are conducting a search in the residence.
Gurtsiev was appointed first deputy mayor of Stavropol in September 2024. Before that, he studied in Putin’s program for participants of the war in Ukraine called “Heroes of the Special Operation,” where “special operation veterans” are turned into officials.
Since 2019, he led the Russian Air Force combat control center; after the war in Ukraine began, Gurtsiev headed the air operation during the battles for Mariupol. In particular, he “implemented his developments in missile guidance technology, which greatly increased their accuracy and effectiveness,” authorities noted.
