Latest news with #TimeofHeroes
New York Post
3 days ago
- Politics
- New York Post
Young Russian ‘war hero' who led bombing that killed thousands of Ukrainians dead in ‘suicide attack'
A retired Russian commander hailed as a war hero for leading a bombing in Mariupol that left 8,000 Ukrainian civilians dead has been killed in an apparent suicide attack, Russian officials said. Zaur Gurtsiev, 34, a decorated former major, was blown up in the southern Russian city of Stavropol on Thursday, according to Russia's Investigative Committee. Wild surveillance video circulating on social media and in Russian state media captured Gurtsiev and an unidentified man standing in a darkened street, close to a line of cars, just moments before the blast erupted. Advertisement 3 Surveillance video captured Zaur Gurtsiev and another man in the Russian city of Stavropol on Thursday just moments before the blast. IC /east2west news The other man appeared to approach Gurtsiev seconds before a bright light filled the screen and the footage cut out. Authorities haven't disclosed what caused the explosion but local reports indicated a grenade or TNT sticks were to blame. Advertisement Russia's Investigative Committee, which probes serious crimes, said the bodies of the two men were later found with multiple injuries. 3 Wild surveillance video appeared to show the man approaching Gurtsiev seconds before the blast rang out. IC /east2west news 'As part of the investigation, the scene of the incident is being inspected, examinations are being ordered, and the necessary investigative actions are being carried out to establish all the circumstances of the incident,' the agency said in a statement. Stavropol Region Governor Vladimir Vladimirov confirmed Gurtsiev's death in a Telegram post, saying that authorities haven't ruled out a 'terrorist attack.' Advertisement 'Law enforcement agencies and special services are working at the scene. Investigative actions are underway. All versions are being considered, including the organization of a terrorist attack involving Nazis from Ukraine,' he said. 'The situation in the city is calm. The situation is under control.' 3 Zaur Gurtsiev, a decorated former major, had received several honors for helping command Russia's bombing of Mariupol. social media /east2west news Gurtsiev, a city official who was due to be appointed to Stavropol's regional administration, had received several honors for helping command Russia's bombing of Mariupol in the early months of the Ukraine war. Advertisement The attack on the Ukrainian port city left roughly 8,000 civilians dead. Gurtsiev, too, had taken part in a Time of Heroes program set up by Russian President Vladimir Putin that was designed to promote war veterans to government positions, local media said. 'Gurtsiev, despite his relatively young age, led the air part of the operation to liberate Mariupol,' the program's website reads. 'He introduced his developments in the technology of targeting missiles, which allowed them to increase their accuracy and effectiveness many times over, including hitting the Azov supply base.' With Post wires
Yahoo
4 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Explosion kills Russian veteran who led airstrikes on Ukraine port city
A retired Russian commander who led airstrikes on the Ukrainian port city of Mariupol died in a blast early Thursday in Stavropol in southern Russia, authorities said. Zaur Gurtsiev, 34, received several medals for participating in Russia's grueling assaults on the cities of Mariupol and Avdiivka. Authorities did not say what caused the explosion, but also did not rule out that Ukraine was responsible. Videos posted by Russian Telegram channels showed two men, one of them Gurtsiev, standing together in a residential neighborhood before a blast. A string of high-profile Russian servicemen have been killed in Russia since the Kremlin launched its full-scale military offensive on Ukraine in February 2022. In December, the head of the Russian military's biological and chemical weapons unit, Lt. General Igor Kirillov, was killed along with his deputy in an explosion in Moscow, Russia's Investigative Committee said at the time. More recently, in April, an explosive device in Moscow killed a senior Russian general, General-Lieutenant Yaroslav Moskalik, the deputy head of the main operational directorate of the military's general staff, according to Russia's investigative committee. Kyiv has in some cases claimed responsibility or reveled in the attacks, calling them "legitimate targets" given Moscow's three-year offensive has killed tens of thousands. Ukrainian security forces told CBS News after Kirillov's death that Security Service of Ukraine killed him in a special operation, a claim that could not be independently verified but sparked Russian calls for revenge against Ukrainian leaders. "Our hero, veteran of the special military operation and participant in the Time of Heroes programme, Zaur Alexandrovich Gurtsiev, has died," said Stavropol region governor Vladimir Vladimirov, using Russia's term for its Ukraine offensive. "All versions are being considered, including the organisation of a terrorist attack involving Nazis from Ukraine," he added, echoing the Kremlin's claim that it is fighting neo-Nazis in Ukraine. The veteran's 29-year-old acquaintance died alongside him, Stavropol law enforcement said. The Time of Heroes is the Kremlin's programme aimed to boost the careers of veterans stringently chosen to become part of Russia's future elite. Gurtsiev was serving as Stavropol's deputy mayor. He had commanded Moscow's air assault on the Ukrainian port city of Mariupol, a bustling Black Sea city devastated by Russian airstrikes. Russian forces rolled into Mariupol at the beginning of 2022 and imposed a brutal siege for nearly three months that resulted in 8,000 deaths, according to Human Rights Watch. The siege included a deadly airstrike on a theatre where civilians were hiding. Ukraine does not typically comment on clandestine operations on the enemy's territory. SpaceX loses contact with its Starship, spins out of control Post-WWII Germany's first Jewish cabinet member on finding her "political voice," facing the past Elon Musk says he and Trump administration sometimes have "differences of opinion"
Yahoo
4 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Russian commander who led Mariupol bombing killed in ‘suicide attack'
The Russian commander who led a bombing campaign against the Ukrainian port city of Mariupol has been killed in an apparent suicide blast attack. Zaur Gurtsiev, 34, a decorated former major, was blown up on Thursday in Stavropol in southern Russia, authorities said. Gurtsiev received several medals and honours for commanding Russia's bombardment of Mariupol during a brutal siege in the early months of the full-scale invasion that killed up to 8,000 civilians. Russian authorities did not say what caused the explosion, but local reports suggested that it was a suicide blast attack, possibly involving a grenade or sticks of TNT. A 29-year-old man who approached Gurtsiev just before the explosion died alongside him. The possible assassination comes amid a volley of tit-for-tat accusations between Kyiv and Moscow on Thursday over the stalling of peace negotiations, while Russia continues to capture more ground in Ukraine's war-shattered east. In CCTV footage of the blast on Thursday, the other man is seen on his phone, waiting until the former commander arrived. As they walked towards each other, an explosion went off between them, killing them instantly. Credit: and @vchkogpu / Telegram Russia's investigative committee said the bodies of two men with multiple injuries had been discovered outside a multi-storey building and that criminal cases investigating murder and the illegal possession of explosives had been opened. A string of high-profile Russian servicemen have been assassinated inside the country throughout the three-year war, often involving Ukraine's military intelligence and homemade bombs. There has not yet been a response from Kyiv, which does not typically comment on clandestine operations on Russian territory. 'Our hero, veteran of the special military operation and participant in the Time of Heroes programme, Zaur Alexandrovich Gurtsiev, has died,' said Vladimir Vladimirov, the region governor of Stavropol, using Russia's term for its war in Ukraine. 'All versions are being considered, including the organisation of a terrorist attack involving Nazis from Ukraine,' he added. Gurtsiev had been serving as Stavropol's deputy mayor. In Ukraine, he also commanded troops in the brutal battle for Ukraine's eastern city of Avdiivka, which Russia captured at high cost in early 2024. Kyiv has in certain instances claimed responsibility or revelled in the assassinations on Russian soil, calling them 'legitimate targets', often due to their roles in the killing of Ukrainian civilians. Russian Telegram channels, with links to security forces, suggested the explosion may have been caused by a grenade or an improvised explosive device hidden inside the other man's bag. Some reports alleged he had been hired by unknown people to collect information on Gurtsiev and had been given equipment that concealed an explosive device. The attack comes as Moscow claimed Kyiv had not yet responded to its offer to hold a second round of direct talks in Istanbul on June 2, where it wants to present a so-called 'memorandum' outlining its conditions for a long-term peace settlement. But Kyiv on Wednesday had said the meeting would not yield results unless it saw a copy of the proposal in advance, a demand which Russia dismissed, calling it 'non-constructive'. In response, Ukraine's foreign ministry on Thursday said the memorandum was likely full of 'unrealistic ultimatums', accusing Moscow of being 'afraid' to reveal that they were stalling the peace process. The Kremlin has so far refused to agree to a US-proposed 30-day ceasefire and has shown no signs of scaling back its maximalist demands. Also on Thursday, a new report detailed that Moscow had sent Pyongyang an advanced air defence system in exchange for thousands of the pariah state's troops. The transfers mark a major violation of international sanctions and underscore Moscow's deepening military alliance with North Korea following the signing of a strategic partnership treaty last June. The findings by the UN monitoring team also confirmed that Pyongyang had supplied more than 20,000 containers of munitions to Russia, including more than 100 ballistic missiles. Pyongyang deployed more than 11,000 troops to Russia in late 2024, with 3,000 reinforcements sent recently, to help Moscow expel the last of Ukraine's troops from the border region of Kursk. On the battlefield, Russia said it had captured three new villages in Ukraine's east, where most of Moscow's offensive actions are focused. Its defence ministry said its forces had occupied the village of Stroivka in Ukraine's northeastern Kharkiv region, as well as Gnativka and Shevchenko Pershe in the Donetsk region. The Telegraph cannot independently verify the claims, which come at a time when Moscow is trying to capture as much ground as possible to improve its position during peace negotiations. Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more.
NDTV
4 days ago
- Politics
- NDTV
Russian Veteran Behind Strikes On Ukraine Port City Killed In Blast
Russia: A retired Russian commander who led air strikes on the Ukrainian port city of Mariupol died in a blast early Thursday in Stavropol in southern Russia, authorities said. Zaur Gurtsiev, 34, received several medals for participating in Russia's gruelling assaults on the cities of Mariupol and Avdiivka. Authorities did not say what caused the explosion, but also did not rule out that Ukraine was responsible. A string of high-profile Russian servicemen have been killed in Russia since the Kremlin launched its full-scale military offensive on Ukraine in February 2022. Videos posted by Russian Telegram channels showed two men, one of them Gurtsiev, positioned in a residential neighbourhood before a blast. Kyiv has in some cases claimed responsibility or revelled in the attacks, calling them "legitimate targets" given Moscow's three-year offensive has killed tens of thousands. "Our hero, veteran of the special military operation and participant in the Time of Heroes programme, Zaur Alexandrovich Gurtsiev, has died," said Stavropol region governor Vladimir Vladimirov, using Russia's term for its Ukraine offensive. "All versions are being considered, including the organisation of a terrorist attack involving Nazis from Ukraine," he added, echoing the Kremlin's claim that it is fighting neo-Nazis in Ukraine. The veteran's 29-year-old acquaintance died alongside him, Stavropol law enforcement said. The Time of Heroes is the Kremlin's programme aimed to boost the careers of veterans stringently chosen to become part of Russia's future elite. Gurtsiev was serving as Stavropol's deputy mayor. He had commanded Moscow's air assault on the Ukrainian port city of Mariupol, a bustling Black Sea city devastated by Russian air strikes. Russian forces rolled into Mariupol at the beginning of 2022 and imposed a brutal siege for nearly three months that resulted in 8,000 deaths, according to Human Rights Watch. The siege included a deadly air strike on a theatre where civilians were hiding. Ukraine does not typically comment on clandestine operations on the enemy's territory.
Yahoo
4 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Russian military figure killed in explosion deep inside the country, authorities say
A Russian deputy governor and prominent veteran of Moscow's war in Ukraine was killed in an explosion in southern Russia early on Thursday, authorities said. Zaur Aleksandrovich Gurtsiev, 29, died alongside another man in the blast on a street in Stavropol, which investigators said 'committed using a homemade explosive device.' 'As part of the investigation, the scene of the incident is being inspected, examinations are being ordered, and the necessary investigative actions are being carried out to establish all the circumstances of the incident,' Russia's Investigative Committee said in a Thursday statement. Video footage circulated online and on state media appears the show the moment of the blast, which occurs just as Gurtsiev meets the other man in a darkened street, near a row of parked cars. After the blast, the footage seemingly shows Gurtsiev lying on the ground, while the second man is rocked back by the explosion. The man who died in the explosion in Stavropol along with Gurtsiev rented an apartment in a building near the scene of the incident, emergency services told state media outlet TASS. Regional governor Vladimir Vladimirov wrote on Telegram that 'all versions are being considered, including the organization of a terrorist attack' involving Ukraine. Gurtsiev had taken part in the 'Time of Heroes' program set up by President Vladimir Putin, used to promote veterans of Russia's war in Ukraine to official positions in the government. His appointment as deputy regional governor was announced personally by Putin. According to the Time of Heroes website, 'Gurtsiev, despite his relatively young age, led the air part of the operation to liberate Mariupol.' 'He introduced his developments in the technology of targeting missiles, which allowed them to increase their accuracy and effectiveness many times over, including hitting the Azov supply base.' Russian forces seized control of the port city of Mariupol in 2022 following a brutal 86-day siege – one of the deadliest and most destructive battles since Moscow launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine more than three years ago. According to United Nations estimates, 90% of residential buildings were damaged or destroyed in Mariupol during Russian attacks, and around 350,000 people out of the pre-war population of about 430,000 were forced to flee. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said in an interview earlier this year that 20,000 civilians are believed to have been killed, though the death toll cannot be independently verified. Ukrainian officials accused Moscow of trying to cover up evidence of civilian casualties, a claim the Kremlin denies. Gurtsiev is the latest in a number of Russian military figures to have been killed inside the country over the past year, a period in which the ramifications of Moscow's war have increasingly been felt domestically. Last month Russian authorities charged a 'Ukrainian special services agent' with terrorism, after he was detained in connection with a car explosion that killed Russian General Yaroslav Moskalik, the deputy head of the Main Operations Directorate of the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces. And in February Armen Sarkisyan, the founder of a pro-Russian militia group in eastern Ukraine – described by authorities in Kyiv as a 'criminal mastermind' – died following a bombing in central Moscow. The bombing took place in an upmarket residential complex in the capital city, state media outlet TASS reported at the time.
