Vladimir Putin's Black Sea Naval Captain Shot Dead by Assassin During Early Morning Jog
July 11 2023, Published 2:30 p.m. ET
A Russian naval captain under Vladimir Putin’s command was assassinated this week while out for an early morning jog, RadarOnline.com has learned.
Stanislav Rzhitsky, 42, was reportedly killed at approximately 6 AM on Monday morning while jogging through the Russian city of Krasnodar.
Ukraine's Main Directorate of Intelligence confirmed Rzhitsky’s death but denied responsibility for the assassination.
"Due to heavy rain, the park was deserted, so there are no witnesses who could provide details or identify the attacker,” the agency announced in a Telegram post.
"We know that the roots of what happened yesterday in the Russian Federation must be sought within Russia itself, where internal protest against the war in Ukraine is growing,” added the agency’s chief, Kyrylo Budanov.
Also surprising are reports that Rzhitsky was tracked via a jogging app.
The app, Strava, was reportedly active both before and after the 42-year-old Russian naval captain was murdered and it shared his jogging route with anyone who had access to the software.
The suspected assassin reportedly shot seven bullets at Rzhitsky, with four of the shots striking him in his back and chest. He was declared dead at the scene.
Meanwhile, Russian authorities suggested Rzhitsky was murdered on Monday as revenge for an attack on the Ukrainian city of Vinnytsia last year.
27 Ukrainians were killed in the attack after a submarine suspected to be captained by Rzhitsky launched a series of Kalibr missiles against the city.
The Russian Investigative Committee has since launched a probe into Rzhitsky’s suspected murder.
Detectives for the committee confirmed they are working to “establish all the circumstances of the incident” as well as “the person who committed the crime and his motives.”
As RadarOnline.com previously reported, Rzhitsky’s death on Monday came shortly after another Russian military official – General Sergey Surovikin – was rumored to have been executed.
Dubbed “General Armageddon,” Surovikin was allegedly purged by Putin for his alleged ties to Yevgeny Prigozhin and the Wagner chief’s failed Moscow coup last month.
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Surovikin reportedly went missing shortly after the botched rebellion and has not been heard from since.
"The whereabouts of ‘General Armageddon’ is not known for certain,” one Russian outlet reported late last month. "There is a version that he is under interrogation."
