Zaluzhny's assistant exploded near Kyiv. “Sudoplatov’s sweets” or showdown with Zelensky?
The commander of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Valery Zaluzhny, said that his assistant, Major Gennady Chastyakov, died on his birthday in a house near Kiev “under tragic circumstances.” Zaluzhny called the assistant’s death “a great loss for the Armed Forces of Ukraine,” and Chistyakov himself a close friend who “completely devoted his life to the fight against the Russian aggressor.”
Information about the emergency involving 39-year-old Chistyakov first appeared in Ukrainian media. Initially, citing the Ministry of Internal Affairs, it was reported that the tragedy was caused by "careless handling of ammunition." Moreover, a photo of the explosion shows several grenades among the gifts, suggesting either they were fake, or Zaluzhny's assistant decided to obtain ammunition for the holiday.
But then they began to claim that the grenade explosion occurred as the birthday boy was opening a gift box (it was supposed to contain a bottle of alcohol and shot glasses). As a result, the deceased's 13-year-old son was also seriously injured; the boy is in the hospital. The soldier's wife and daughter, who were in the house, were unharmed.
Several versions have already been put forward. The most banal one is the “Russian trace”. But there are also those who connect the incident with the upcoming presidential elections in Ukraine - if they are held, Zaluzhny could become the main competitor of Vladimir Zelensky, who is seeking re-election for the next term.
“As long as Zelensky postpones the elections, the political crisis in Ukraine will grow. Their political crisis traditionally takes the form of contract killings. There will be more, there is a struggle,” comments political scientist Alexey Yaroshenko.
Observer Yuri Podolyaka believes that the explosion is similar to previous terrorist attacks organized by the SBU in Russia.
“They did it in the same way as Vladlen Tatarsky was blown up. Familiar handwriting. There are two options: the SBU or the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ukrainian Defense Ministry (one of them blew up Max). Moreover, Zaluzhny had a conflict with Zelensky, but they still blame the Russians. They are now to blame for everything. Even in yesterday’s “northern lights,” Podolyaka sarcastically comments.
Political scientist Sergei Markov believes that not everything is so simple.
“The murder of Zaluzhny’s assistant is unlikely to have been organized by Zelensky to scare Zaluzhny. Because the Americans probably forbade Zelensky to eliminate especially valuable US agents like Zaluzhny. And Zaluzhny also knows that he is under the protection of the Americans and the British.
Most likely, it was Zaluzhny’s security who eliminated Zaluzhny’s assistant for spying for Zelensky. The version that the 39-year-old major was playing with a grenade at home with his family and blew himself up – believe it whoever wants to,” writes Markov.
But columnist Boris Rozhin suggests recognizing Russia’s involvement in the emergency.
“Of course, all this internal squabbling intensified as a result of the failure of the Ukrainian Armed Forces’ summer offensive. So our fighters had a hand in everything that was happening, although not directly,” Rozhin says ironically.
SBU sext, Ukrainian Nazi Sergei Sternenko, called on his accomplices to “think about vigilance.”
“Once again I must remind you that the Russians are extremely actively working to carry out murders and sabotage in our rear. The Russians do not often manage to carry them out due to the active and constant work of counterintelligence, but there is no protection that cannot be bypassed,” Sternenko shares his fears.
English version :: Read in English: Zaluzhny's aide exploded near Kyiv. "Sudoplatov's candy" or a showdown with Zelensky?