Russian Commander Shot Dead On Morning Run May Have Been Tracked On Strava App By Ukraine Official

A Russian submarine commander shot to death while jogging on Monday may have been targeted by an assailant tracking him on a popular running app, according to Russian media. He was shot four times in the back and chest and died on the spot, the reports said.

Stanislav Rzhitsky was killed earlier this week in the southern Russian city of Krasnodar by an "unknown person," state news agency TASS reported, adding that "the motive for the crime is being investigated."

STRAVA

One Russian media outlet, Tsargrad, said the assailant "planned the murder so carefully that the moment of the attack did not appear on any CCTV cameras." "The killer waited in the park near the sports complex' Olympus,' where Rzhitsky regularly made morning jogs. The man died on the spot, the shooter is on the run."

He may have been tracked on Strava app

Russian media earlier reported that Rzhitsky's killer may have used Strava, a widely available app used by runners and cyclists, to follow his movements.

Rzhitsky's jogging and cycling routes appear on an account in his name on the Strava app. One of his regular jogging circuits that he took while working in Krasnodar includes the park where he was killed early Monday.

Reports also suggest that one of the people who liked his posts was the Chief of Intelligence of Ukraine.

He reportedly commanded the Krasnodar submarine, named after the city, in the Russian navy. Ukrainian media has said he could have been in command of the vessel when it carried out a missile attack on the Ukrainian city of Vinnytsia in July 2022, which killed 28 people, including three children.

The Ukrainian government said the attack came from Kalibr cruise missiles launched from a submarine in the Black Sea.

AP

What's Ukraine saying?

Ukraine's Defense Intelligence disclosed how Rzhitsky was apparently shot in an unusually detailed statement on Telegram. The agency did not explicitly take responsibility for the commander's death.

"The submariner was jogging in the' 30th Anniversary of Victory' park in Krasnodar. Around 6 a.m., he was shot seven times with a Makarov pistol. As a result of the gunshot wounds, Rzhitsky died on the spot," the statement said.

"Due to heavy rain, the park was deserted, so there were no witnesses who could provide details or identify the attacker." A later statement by the Strategic Communications department of Ukraine's armed forces sought ¨C on the face of it ¨C to downplay suggestions Kyiv might have carried out the attack.

In language striking a detached, perhaps even sarcastic tone, the statement said Rzhitsky had come to the conclusion that missile strikes that killed civilians were ineffective.

STRAVA

"Obviously, he was eliminated by his own men for refusing to continue to carry out combat orders from his command regarding missile attacks on peaceful Ukrainian cities," the statement concluded.

At least two other pro-war Russian figures in the Myrotvorets database have been assassinated inside Russia since Moscow invaded Ukraine. Bomb attacks killed journalist Darya Dugina last August and war blogger Vladlen Tatarsky in April.

Russia has blamed Ukraine for the attacks, while Kyiv has denied involvement, suggesting they are the result of Russian infighting.

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