Investigators are currently considering an accident due to careless handling of ammunition as the main version of the cause of death of the assistant commander-in-chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Valerii Zaluzhnyi, Hennadiy Chastyakov.
The Communications Advisor of the State Bureau of Investigation (SBI) Tetyana Sapyan informed about this on November 8.
"According to the investigation, the accident occurred as a result of careless handling of an explosive device," Sapyan noted.
Investigators are also considering other possible versions:
- murder ordered by the special services of the Russian Federation;
- murder on the basis of hostile relations;
- attempted assassination by Russian special services of another officer of the Office of the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
What happened?
On November 6, Major, assistant to the commander-in-chief of the Armed Forces Valerii Zaluzhnyi, Hennadiy Chastyakov, was killed in the village of Chayki (Kyiv region). He died on his birthday in the family circle — one of the gifts contained grenades. Chastyakov is survived by his wife and four children.
The Minister of Internal Affairs Ihor Klymenko informed that Chastyakov brought home a gift box with grenades and began to show one of them to his son. These were grenades of the new Western model. The majorʼs son took the ammunition in his hands and began to spin the ring. Then Chastyakov took the grenade from the child and pulled out the ring. There was an explosion. Five more such unexploded grenades were found in the apartment. They will be sent for examination. The police also found Chastyakovʼs colleague, who gave him ammunition. His office was already searched and two similar grenades were seized.