MOSCOW, July 12 (IANS) A former Russian navy commander was shot and killed while jogging in the southern city of Krasnodar, according to media reports.
The BBC quoted Russia’s Kommersant as saying that Stanislav Rzhetsky, the 42-year-old who was said to have piloted the Krasnodar submarine, was shot in the back and chest in a park near the Olymp sports centre.
Russian investigators said the suspect, Serhiy Denisenko, born in the Ukrainian city of Sumy in 1959, was arrested in connection with the crime.
Several Russian Telegram channels alleged that Denysenko was the former head of the Ukrainian Karate Federation.
Russia’s Investigative Committee has also released a video of the alleged arrest, but the man’s face is not visible in it.
It later released closed-circuit television footage purporting to be of Rzhetsky on his morning jog, followed by a man on a bicycle.
Baza, a Russian channel on Telegram, reported that the killer could have tracked Rzhitsky’s running on the fitness app because he regularly followed the same route while jogging.
A BBC analysis of Rzetzky’s profile, which was made public, showed that he frequently passed through the area where he was reported to have been killed.
His address and personal details have also been uploaded to the Ukrainian website Myrotvorets (Peacemaker), which is a vast unofficial database of people deemed enemies of Ukraine.
The word “Liquidator”, in red letters, is now superimposed on his portrait at the site.
Ukraine’s military intelligence said in a statement that the park was deserted due to heavy rain, “therefore there are no witnesses who could provide details or identify the attacker,” according to the BBC.
Anton Gerashchenko, an adviser to Ukraine’s Ministry of Interior, tweeted that Russian media was accusing Ukraine of involvement, but did not say whether this suspicion was justified.
In July 2022, the Krasnodar submarine carried out a missile attack on the Ukrainian city of Vinnitsa, killing 28 people, including three children.
The Ukrainian government said the attack came from Kalibr cruise missiles launched from a submarine in the Black Sea.
– Jans
ksk
