Ukrainian intelligence has confirmed earlier Russian reports about the murder of Stanislav Rzhytskyi, former commander of the Krasnodar submarine, who is suspected of directing a missile strike that killed 27 Ukrainian civilians in Vinnytsia.
On 10 July, former submarine commander Rzhytskyi, who served as deputy head of the department for mobilization work in Russia’s Krasnodar, was shot dead in Russia, according to reports by Russian RBC, who cited the Krasnodar City administration.
According to Ukraine’s Main Intelligence Directorate, 42-year-old Stanislav Rzhytskyi was jogging in the morning when an unknown person shot him seven times in the back. “Due to heavy rain, the park was deserted, so there were no witnesses who could provide details or identify the attacker,” the intelligence added.
The head of Ukrainian Intelligence denies Ukraine’s involvement in Rzhytskyi’s assassination. “Statements by some media and politicians that the Ukrainian Intelligence Service is involved in the death of Stanislav Rzhytskyi, who was the commander of the Krasnodar submarine and killed Ukrainian civilians, have no basis in fact,” said Kyrylo Budanov, the head of the Ukrainian Intelligence Service.
According to him, “the roots of what happened yesterday in Russia should be sought inside Russia itself, where internal protest against the war in Ukraine is growing.”
According to the Russian Telegram channel Baza, Rzhitskyi’s alleged killer was caught on CCTV. It is also believed that the killer could have tracked the commander’s jogging route through the Strava app, where Rzhytskyi regularly shared his location.
Krasnodar is one of the six submarines of the “Varshavyanka” project, which are part of the Black Sea fleet of the Russian Navy. Each of them is capable of carrying up to four Kalibr cruise missiles.
Reportedly Rzhytskyi was accountable for at least one missile attack on Ukraine. According to NGL media, on 14 July 2022, Russians fired Kalibr precision-guided missiles at the city of Vinnytsia from the Krasnodar submarine. The attack killed 27 people, including three children.
Ukraine calls to brand Russia a terrorist state after missile strike kills 21 in Vinnytsia
