(UnitedVoice.com) – An assassin shot and killed a Russian military officer while he was jogging in Krasnodar. Stanislav Rzhitsky, 42, was reportedly on a Ukraine blacklist when he died for allegedly carrying out an attack that killed dozens. However, reports indicate the assassin killed the wrong person.
Assassination
Rzhitsky’s address and other personal details were reportedly shared on a site that keeps track of people who are enemies of Ukraine. Reuters reported that on Tuesday, July 11, the word “Liquidated” was placed over his photograph in red letters on the website.
Ukraine’s intelligence arm reportedly published details of Rzhitsky’s assassination online but didn’t take responsibility for the killing. The agency claimed that on July 10, the Russian commander was shot at seven times as he was on his morning run. Heavy rain and an empty park prevented people from witnessing the killing. The agency claimed no suspects were identified at the time. Other reports say the former submarine commander was shot in his chest and back while jogging.
Russian authorities arrested Sergei Denisenko, 64, for allegedly carrying out the attack. He was captured after security forces conducted a raid on his home. During the search, officials claim they found a silencer, a pistol, and cash in his possession.
Major-General Kyrylo Budanov, Ukraine’s military intelligence chief, issued a statement denying the country had anything to do with the assassination and blamed it on anti-war enemies.
Wrong Guy
It’s widely believed that Rzhitsky was killed because he once commanded the Krasnodar submarine that launched the Kalibre missile that hit a civilian area in Ukraine in July 2022. Twenty-seven Ukrainians, including three children, were killed in the strike.
The attack happened in the Ukrainian city of Vinnystya in the late morning hours. One of the children to die was a 4-year-old named Liza Dmitrieva, who had Down Syndrome. She was with her mother, Irina, when the cruise missile hit them. The mother was severely injured, and the little girl didn’t make it.
Approximately 90 others were left with injuries. President Voldomyr Zelenskyy labeled the attack an “open act of terrorism.” Though the strike was horrendous, the assassin didn’t realize that Rzhitsky was not the perpetrator. He’d given up the command of the submarine, leaving Captain Anatoliy Varochkin, 46, in charge.
At least one Ukrainian group was offering a $15,000 reward for Varochkin, blaming him for the submarine strike.
Submarine attacks have caused some of the most devastating damage in Ukraine since the start of the war. Thousands of people on both sides have died in the battle that Russian President Vladimir Putin launched.
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