Jogging Russian commander killed after 'regularly' sharing 'running routes' to social media: report

11 July 2023

Russian submarine commander Stanislav Rzhitsky was "shot four times" and killed Monday during a morning jog, The Daily Beast reports.

Per The Beast, the 42-year-old served both as head of "Russia's Black Sea Fleet and the deputy head of mobilization efforts in Krasnoda" at the time of his murder.

According to the report, Russian media says the shooting was "ordered from Ukraine," but Rzhitsky's family told the country's Baza Telegram channel the commander "wasn't even in the military anymore, and that he was not involved in the so-called 'special military operation' against Ukraine."

Rzhitsky's father told Baza "He didn't take part in the [war] in any way."

However, The Beast notes Baza emphasizes "largely thanks to" the fact the commander "regularly posted his running routes on the popular exercise app Strava, and he usually stuck to the same route," then "it was not difficult for the killer to choose a convenient spot for the execution."

The Beast reports:

The Ukrainian Defense Ministry's Main Intelligence Directorate on Tuesday confirmed Rzhitsky's murder but did not claim responsibility for it, noting only that he had commanded a Russian submarine 'involved in missile attacks on Ukraine.' They said he'd been shot seven times with a Makarov pistol.

The Beast also notes:

Ukrainian intelligence chief Kyrylo Budanov denied that Kyiv had any involvement in the killing, writing on Telegram on Tuesday that the 'roots' of the murder 'should be sought within Russia itself, where internal protest against the war in Ukraine is growing.'

Per the report, "The Krasnodar submarine, equipped with Kalibr cruise missiles, was blamed by Ukrainian media for an attack on Vinnytsia last year that killed 27 people."

A murder investigation has been opened by Russia's Investigative Committee.

The Daily Beast's full report is available at this link (subscription required).

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