Russian Official Responsible for 2022 Mariupol Airstrikes Assassinated
On the night of May 29, the deputy mayor of Stavropol, Russia, who participated in the conflict in Ukraine as part of the invasion forces, was killed in an explosion.
Russian state-affiliated media and regional authorities reported this information.
The individual has been identified as Zaur Gurtsiyev, who, according to BAZA, commanded the air operations during the capture of Mariupol in the Donetsk region.
The deputy mayor of Stavropol, who commanded the air operations during the capture of Mariupol, was killed in an explosion in Russia.
“In the course of a nighttime incident on Chekhov Street in Stavropol, Zaur Aleksandrovich Gurtsiyev — a veteran of the special military operation (the war in Ukraine) and participant in the Heroes Hour program — was killed,” wrote the governor of Stavropol Krai in a Telegram statement this morning.
According to the governor, law enforcement agencies and security services are working at the scene. Investigative actions are ongoing. The governor also stated that a version involving a “Ukrainian trace” in the alleged “terrorist attack” is being considered.
In September 2024, Gurtsiyev was appointed First Deputy Mayor of Stavropol.
According to Russian media, two people died in Stavropol as a result of a grenade explosion on Chekhov Street.
Ivan Ulyanchenko, the city’s mayor, clarified that two men died in the explosion near a residential building.
Telegram channels also published video footage of the moment of Gurtsiyev’s death, showing a man in a cap and carrying a bag approaching him; the man’s face is not visible on camera, and the explosion follows immediately.
According to BAZA, Gurtsiyev commanded the air operations of the Russian offensive to capture Mariupol, during which a large number of Ukrainians lost their lives.
It is claimed that, in particular, he “implemented his developments into missile guidance technology, which significantly increased their accuracy and effectiveness…”
The Russian Federation’s media reported that while serving in the military, Gurtsiyev headed the combat control center of the air force and air defense of one of the armies.
