CCTV footage shows Russian submarine captain’s final run before he was shot dead
CCTV footage has emerged showing the captain of a Russian submarine making the last flight before being shot dead, allegedly in revenge for a missile attack on Ukraine.
Stanislav Rzhitsky, 42, was seen jogging while being followed by a mysterious cyclist in Krasnodar, Russia, just minutes before dying on the spot after being shot up to seven times.
Russian law enforcement officials claim he was shot on Ukraine’s orders and rushed to arrest the alleged suspect, a father of six Ukrainian-born judo teacher Sergei Denisenko, 64.
It comes after Rzhitsky’s submarine fired Kalibr missiles at a town in Vinnytsia, Ukraine, killing up to 27 civilians.
According to Baza, a Russian Telegram channel with links to the security services, the killer could have tracked Rzhitsky’s movements on the fitness app Strava, where he posted details of his regular running route.
Stanislav Rzhitsky (pictured), 42, was seen jogging while being followed by a cyclist in Krasnodar, Russia, just minutes before dying at the scene after being shot up to seven times
Russian law enforcement officials claim he was shot on Ukraine’s orders and rushed to arrest the alleged suspect, a father of six Ukrainian-born judo teacher Sergei Denisenko, 64 (pictured curled up as armed police stormed his home)
The detained man’s friends claimed he was framed about the shooting and a number of theories arose about the submarine captain’s death.
“His friends and colleagues do not believe in his involvement in the crime,” the VChK-OGPU Telegram channel reported.
The location would be an “extremely strange place” for a Ukrainian assassin to kill his Russian target, the channel said.
The killer then escaped to a trolleybus stop along Kubanskaya Embankment Street, some 350 meters from the scene of the shooting.
“The stop is opposite the gate of the Krasnodar branch of the Alpha Special Forces unit,” the channel said.
“The murder was almost committed at the… FSB Special Forces Center. They often run there, train in this park.’
It comes after Rzhitsky’s submarine fired Kalibr missiles at a town in Vinnytsia, Ukraine, killing up to 27 civilians. In the photo: Stanislav Rzhitsky
Pictured: Stanislav Rzhitsky, 42, who was shot and killed up to seven times while fleeing in Krasnodar, Russia
The cyclist allegedly following the submarine captain is not Denisenko.
When the war broke out, Denisenko fled to Switzerland with his wife and two toddlers.
He later returned to Ukraine and repaired his destroyed home. He then came to live with his eldest son in Russia.
“Relatives note that Sergei was positive all along and spoke to his family on the phone,” the report said.
“Despite his anti-war stance, he was not an activist and intended to develop his favorite sport.” Before the war he led the Ukrainian Shotokan Karate Federation.
While a gun and silencers were found in his rented flat where he was held huddled on the floor in his underwear by special forces officers, his friends say he had no experience with firearms.
While a gun and silencers were found in his rented flat where he was held huddled on the floor in his underwear by special forces agents, his friends say he had no experience with firearms.
Major General Kyrylo Budanov denied that his agents were responsible for the killing in Krasnodar, blaming instead internal Russian anti-war enemies of Putin.
He claimed it was a Russian-on-Russian shooting. “We know that the roots of what happened yesterday in the Russian Federation are to be found in Russia itself, where internal protest against the war in Ukraine is growing,” he said.
Since Rzhitsky had left the navy before the war, the motive for a Ukrainian murder seems to be missing.
Captain Anatoliy Varochkin, 56, was in charge of the submarine on July 14, 2022 when the missiles killed little tragic Liza Dmitrieva, four and 26 others in the devastating attack from the Black Sea, it turned out. He is now Deputy Chief of Staff of the Black Sea Fleet.