Russian media and officials confirmed the death of Zaur Gurtsiyev, deputy mayor of Stavropol and former commander of the air operation over Mariupol, in a grenade explosion that occurred overnight on 29 May. The explosion reportedly occurred on Chekhov Street in southern Russia’s Stavropol city near a residential building. 

Stavropol Krai Governor Vladimir Vladimirov announced in the morning that “as a result of the night incident on Chekhov Street in Stavropol, veteran of the Special Military Operation and participant in the ‘Vremya Geroev’ program, Zaur Aleksandrovich Gurtsiyev, was killed.”

According to Vladimirov, law enforcement and security services are investigating the case, and “All versions are being considered, including the organization of a terrorist attack involving Nazis from Ukraine” – the official Russia calls Ukrainian authorities “Nazis” to deny Ukraine’s statehood and justify the ongoing Russian invasion of Ukraine.

Russian pro-Kremlin Telegram channel Shot close to law enforcement reported that two men sitting on a bench outside the building and drinking alcohol were killed by a grenade explosion. The perpetrator is currently unknown, another pro-Kremlin channel Mash noted.

At the time of the publication of this article, Ukrainian officials did not confirm the country’s involvement in the incident.

Footage of the explosion circulates online

Telegram channels published video footage from the moment of the incident. In the video, a man wearing a cap and carrying a bag approaches Gurtsiyev. His face is not visible to the camera. The explosion follows immediately after. This clearly shows that the two men were not sitting on a bench during the explosion.

Gurtsiyev’s role in Mariupol air operation

The Vremya Geroev Russian military propaganda website says that Gurtsiyev “directly commanded the air component of the operation to liberate the city of Mariupol” in Ukraine’s Donetsk Oblast in 2022. He was said to have introduced targeting technologies that “greatly increased the accuracy and effectiveness” of Russian missile strikes.

In Stavropol, Gurtsiyev was appointed first deputy mayor of Stavropol in September 2024 to officially oversee “preventing terrorism and extremism.” He was awarded multiple Russian state honors, including an order for his role in the occupation of Mariupol and Avdiivka, the Medal of the Order “For Merit to the Fatherland” 1st and 2nd Class with swords, as well as the Zhukov and Suvorov Medals.