Overview

• Gurtsiev, 29, died alongside local resident Nikita Penkov when a homemade explosive detonated on a street in southern Russia’s Stavropol region.
• Russia’s Investigative Committee opened criminal cases for murder and illegal possession of explosives and is examining video footage and the blast site.
• Regional governor Vladimir Vladimirov said investigators are considering all theories, including a terrorist operation by Ukrainian operatives.
• Gurtsiev rose to prominence through Putin’s Time of Heroes program after leading missile targeting developments and air operations in the siege of Mariupol.
• His killing follows a wave of targeted assassinations of senior Russian military figures inside the country since the Ukraine invasion began.