Assassin shoots dead Russian submarine captain ‘whose missile strike slaughtered 27 Ukrainians’

A ‘revenge killer’ shot dead a former Russian submarine commander suspected of being responsible for a Kalibr missile strike that killed 27 Ukrainians.

Stanislav Rzhitsky, 42, was shot in the back and chest Monday morning while jogging in the Russian city of Krasnodar in what appears to be a carefully planned attack.

Rzhitsky, who commanded a submarine of the Black Sea Fleet, was reportedly killed almost a year ago on July 15, 2022 in revenge for a Kalibr missile strike on the Ukrainian city of Vinnytsia.

Among the 27 victims of the submarine missile bombardment was four-year-old Liza Dmitrieva, who was in a stroller next to her mother Irina. Irina survived the attack but suffered horrific injuries.

Ukrainian first lady Olena Zelenska knew Liza from filming a Christmas video.

Russian investigators believe Rzhitsky’s running route was tracked by a jogging app he used, and that the timing of the murder was related to the upcoming first anniversary of the Kalibr attack.

Rzhitsky, who commanded a submarine of the Black Sea Fleet, is believed to have been killed in revenge for a Kalibr missile attack on the Ukrainian city of Vinnytsia nearly a year ago on July 15, 2022. Pictured: The devastating scene of the missile attack

Among the 27 victims of the submarine missile bombardment was four-year-old Liza Dmitrieva (pictured), who was in a pram next to her mother Irina. Irina survived the attack but suffered horrific injuries

A map showing his frequent route was posted on Strava, a US exercise tracking app.

The ex-captain, who became a mobilization officer for Vladimir Putin’s war against Ukraine, was shot four times as he ran near the Olympus Arena in Krasnodar city.

He was hit in the ‘back and chest’ and died on the spot. Two 9mm bullets were found in his body.

His watch and headphones were found at the scene, indicating robbery was not the motive, according to news channel Mash.

The hit man shot Rzhitsky in a place with no CCTV cameras, but Russian police have released a photo of a man they believe is a suspect in the murder which they believe was ordered as a revenge attack from Ukraine.

Investigators are looking for “a middle-aged man with a blue cap,” Baza’s media outlet reported.

The Ukrainian database Myrotvorets previously posted that Rzhitsky “participates directly in the military invasion of Ukraine.”

Investigators are looking for “a middle-aged man with a blue cap,” Baza’s media outlet reported

The victim was apparently suspected of being the captain of the Krasnodar submarine, incidentally named after his hometown, when it released the Kalibr rocket launcher on Vinnytsia from the Black Sea.

The ex-mayor of Krasnodar Evgeny Pervyshov confirmed: “I knew him as the commander of the Krasnodar submarine…

“He was a true patriot, a good man and a loving father.”

It remains unclear if he was still captain of the submarine in July 2022 when Vinnytsia was hit, but he is known to have released cruise missiles at ISIS during previous Russian operations in Syria.

The Krasnodar is a diesel-electric submarine built for the Black Sea Fleet and designed “to engage surface ships and submarines, lay mines and conduct reconnaissance.”

Previously, Rzhitsky had captained the submarine Alrosa.

A murder case was launched by the First Department for the Investigation of Particularly Important Cases in Krasnodar, Russian officials said.

Investigators were working to establish “all the circumstances surrounding the incident, as well as the person who committed the crime and his motives.”

Among the 27 killed in Vinnytsia were Kateryna Hula, 24, (pictured) administrator of the Neuromed medical center that was hit by the missile strike

Liza’s pram was found in the middle of the street during the strike last year – it was spattered with blood from wounds the girl did not survive

Liza – killed in the air raid last year – suffered from Down syndrome and arthritis in one leg.

Among the 27 dead in Vinnytsia were Kateryna Hula, 24, administrator of the Neuromed medical center that was hit by the missile strike.

The center’s manager, Tetyana Kharchenko, 32, was another victim, as was Evhen Kovalenko, 25, a sound producer for Ukrainian singer Roxolana, who was scheduled to perform in the city.

Concert organizer Viktor Polishchuk was killed, as were child neurologist Pavlo Kovalchuk and neurologist Nataliya Falshtynska, a mother of three.

Russian state television claimed the attack on the submarine had been the “most productive” of the war, citing Colonel Oleg Makarchuk, 48, head of the Ukrainian Air Force’s armaments and logistics service, and Colonel Dmitry Burdiko, another senior air force commander , perished. , as they met in the so-called House of Officers in Vinnytsia.