11-7-2023 (MOSCOW) Stanislav Rzhitsky, a former Russian military official who commanded a submarine in the Black Sea and was on a Ukrainian blacklist of alleged war criminals, was shot dead on his morning run. The 42-year-old was gunned down in the southern city of Krasnodar, according to Russia’s top investigative body.
Rzhitsky’s address and personal details appeared on the Ukrainian website Myrotvorets (Peacemaker), an unofficial database of people considered enemies of Ukraine. On Tuesday, the word “Liquidated” had been superimposed on his photograph on the site.
While Russian media have pointed the finger at Ukraine, Anton Gerashchenko, a Ukrainian interior ministry adviser, did not comment on whether that suspicion was justified. Meanwhile, Baza, a Russian Telegram channel with links to the security services, said the killer could have tracked Rzhitsky’s movements on an app where he posted details of his regular jogging route and how long he took to complete it.
Russian state media and war bloggers said Rzhitsky was deputy head of military mobilisation in the city and had previously commanded the “Krasnodar” submarine in the Black Sea. He was shot four times in the back and chest and died on the spot, the reports said.
The Krasnodar is a diesel-electric submarine built for the Black Sea fleet and designed “to fight surface ships and submarines, lay mines, and conduct reconnaissance”, according to the Russian Defence Ministry.
A Telegram channel used by self-styled pro-Ukraine partisans claimed that Rzhitsky was suspected of involvement in a submarine-launched cruise missile strike in July 2022 that killed at least 23 people, including a four-year-old girl in the Ukrainian city of Vinnytsia. However, the claim was made without evidence.
At least two other pro-war Russian figures in the Myrotvorets database have been assassinated inside Russia since Moscow invaded Ukraine nearly 17 months ago. Russia has blamed Ukraine for the attacks, while Kyiv has denied involvement, suggesting they are the result of Russian infighting.
