Ukraine war: Russian ex-navy commander shot dead while jogging in Krasnodar

A erstwhile Russian submarine skipper who worked arsenic a mobilisation serviceman has been changeable dormant portion jogging successful the confederate Russian metropolis of Krasnodar, according to section media.

Stanislav Rzhitsky, 42, was changeable dormant connected Monday by an unidentified gunman, Russia's state-run Rossiya 1 reported.

Several Russian media outlets speculated helium whitethorn person been tracked via his illustration connected the Strava fittingness app.

Russian authorities person started an probe into the killing.

The country's Investigative Committee - the equivalent of the US FBI - said a execution probe has been launched and that officials would question to "establish each the circumstances of the incident, arsenic good arsenic the idiosyncratic who committed the transgression and his motives".

The erstwhile Naval serviceman was changeable successful the backmost and the thorax by an unidentified gunman portion helium was taking his greeting jog successful a parkland adjacent the Olimp sports centre, Russian regular paper Kommersant reported.

Baza, a Russian Telegram transmission with adjacent ties to the police, reported that the slayer could person tracked Cpt Rzhitsky's runs connected Strava arsenic helium regularly followed the aforesaid way portion running.

A BBC Verify investigation of Cpt Rzhitsky's illustration - which is nationalist - shows that helium often ran done the country wherever helium is reported to person been killed. Facial investigation carried retired by the BBC confirmed the illustration belonged to Cpt Rzhitsky.

In a statement, Ukraine's subject quality said the parkland was deserted owed to dense rain, "so determination are nary witnesses who could supply details oregon place the attacker".

His ticker and headphones were recovered astatine the scene, indicating robbery was not the motive, according to Russian quality outlet Mash.

Cpt Rzhitsky reportedly commanded the Krasnodar submarine, named aft the city, successful the Russian Navy.

Ukrainian media has said helium could person been successful bid of the vas erstwhile it carried retired a missile onslaught connected the Ukrainian metropolis of Vinnytsia successful July 2022, which killed 23 people, including 3 children.

The Ukrainian authorities said the onslaught came from Kalibr cruise missiles launched from a submarine successful the Black Sea.

But Baza, a Russian Telegram transmission with adjacent ties to the police, has quoted Cpt Rzhitsky's begetter saying that his lad resigned from the Russian equipped forces successful December 2021 - earlier Russia's full-scale penetration of Ukraine.

He subsequently became the lawman mobilisation serviceman successful the Krasnodar region.

(Additional reporting by Olga Robinson)