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An aide to Valery Zaluzhny, the commander of the Ukrainian military, was killed in an explosion from a birthday gift, according to reports from The Washington Post and other outlets on the 6th (local time).
Zaluzhny posted a message on Telegram that day, stating, “My assistant and close friend, Lieutenant Gennady Chastiakov, has died surrounded by his family,” describing it as a “very tragic event.”
According to Zaluzhny, the explosion occurred when an unknown device in one of the gifts Chastiakov received was triggered. Zaluzhny stated, “Gennady, who dedicated his life to the military and fought against Russia’s invasion, has been someone I could rely on since the beginning of Russia’s full-scale invasion.” The military has begun investigating the cause of the accident.
Ukrainian Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko said about the initial investigation results, “Lieutenant Chastiakov brought home a gift from a colleague and showed it to his family,” and “he took a grenade out of the gift box and showed it to his son.” According to Klymenko, Chastiakov’s son attempted to turn the pin of the grenade, and Chastiakov snatched the grenade from his son and pulled the pin himself.
Furthermore, according to Minister Klymenko, five identical grenades were found in Chastiakov’s apartment, and the colleague who gave the birthday gift has been identified. Two similar grenades were found at the colleague’s workplace, and an urgent investigation is underway, the minister claimed.
However, some Ukrainian media outlets reported that the gift Chastiakov received contained a bottle with liquid and a glass product that looked like a grenade. An explosion occurred when he tried to open the gift. On social media, claims arose that the incident was not an accident but a deliberate murder based on photos from the scene. Parliament member Mariana Bezula stated, “I do not think he would leave this world carelessly on his birthday.”
The Washington Post also pointed out that many see Zaluzhny, the military commander, and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky as political rivals. Recently, Zaluzhny admitted in a media interview that the war with Russia is at a stalemate, and new strategies are needed to move forward. Zelensky publicly disagreed with this opinion. The Ukrainian presidential office has not yet released an immediate statement on the incident, reported The Washington Post.
By. Lee Jang Won
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