Russian commander who destroyed Mariupol, lured him through a gay app, then liquidated?

AUTHOR:M.J. GDNUS

Former Russian commander Zaur Gurtsiev, known for leading airstrikes on Mariupol in 2022 that killed 8,000 people, was killed in an explosion in the southern Russian city of Stavropol, the Kyiv Post reports, citing the Russian Novosti news agency.

Gurtsiev (34), who was decorated multiple times for his participation in the Russian siege of the Ukrainian port city, died on Thursday along with another man in an explosion suspected to be the result of a suicide bomber.

Investigations have been launched for murder and illegal possession of explosives. A video posted on social media shows two men near parked cars and a bench. At one point, a bright light illuminates the frame and the footage cuts out.

Although the cause of the explosion has not been officially confirmed, Russian authorities have not ruled out Ukrainian involvement.

His death comes after a series of assassinations of senior Russian military officials. In December, an explosion in Moscow killed the head of Russia’s biological and chemical weapons department, Lieutenant General Igor Kirillov, along with his deputy. Last month, an explosive device in Moscow killed Lieutenant General Yaroslav Moskalyk.

Lured by a gay app?

The Russian Telegram channel VChK-OGPU, citing its sources, published details of Zaur Gurtsiev’s death. According to their report, Gurtsiev contacted a man named Nikita Penkov through a gay dating app. Investigators allegedly found explicit messages and nude photos between the two, the Kyiv Post reports.

Gurtsiev, who served as deputy mayor, had repeatedly invited Penkov to meet, but previous meetings had been canceled due to Gurtsiev’s business trips – until the night of the explosion. They had agreed on a meeting place in advance. As they approached each other, an explosion occurred.

Preliminary findings suggest that an improvised explosive device was in Penkov’s bag. It allegedly contained metal pellets, similar to those used in air rifles, to enhance the effect.

The VChK-OGPU claims that Penkov may have been hired by an unknown organization to collect compromising material on Gurtsiev and that he was allegedly provided with a “specially equipped” means of transmitting video. The explosive device, they say, was embedded within that equipment.