Major Gennady Chastyakov, adviser to Ukrainian army chief General Valery Zaluzhny, was killed when a grenade inside a birthday present exploded. Ukrainian officials made the claim on Monday. British media The Guardian reported this news.
“My aide and close friend, Major Gennady Chastyakov, was killed in a tragic incident,” General Zaluzhny wrote in a telegram on Monday.
He said he was killed by an unidentified explosive device in one of Chastyakov’s gifts.
It was initially claimed that Chastyakov had been killed by a bomb placed inside the gift. Later, Interior Minister Igo Klimenko said in a statement that his son showed Chastyakov a box full of grenades as a birthday present. First his son took the grenade in his hand and started spinning the ring. At that moment Chastyakov moved the boy’s hand away from the grenade and removed the ring. This resulted in an unfortunate explosion.
He also said that an army personnel has been identified as having given this gift. Two more grenades of the same type were seized. Investigation has started.
Ukrainian police said the 13-year-old son of the deceased Chastyakov was seriously injured.
Tags: Adviser Ukrainian army chief killed grenade explosion birthday present
