“Alleged Russian commander responsible for Mariupol attacks, resulting in 8,000 deaths, dies in apparent ‘suicide bombing'”

An ex-military officer from Russia responsible for attacks that resulted in the deaths of 8,000 Ukrainians has been assassinated by a suspected ‘suicide bomber’ in Stavropol, a city in the south. 

Zaur Gurtsiev, aged 34, who had been decorated with multiple medals for his involvement in Russia’s violent assaults on Mariupol, a Ukrainian port city, was one of the victims in a fatal explosion on Thursday, confirmed the Russian Investigative Committee. 

The unnamed man is said to have approached Gurtsiev just before the explosion.  

According to Russia’s Investigative Committee, an authority that investigates severe offenses, the bodies of two men displaying numerous injuries were found on Thursday near a tall building. Consequently, inquiries into charges of murder and unlawful possession of explosives have been initiated. 

Video footage published on social media showed two men standing close to some parked cars and a bench when a bright light filled the screen and the footage cut out.

Russian authorities have now opened a criminal case following the death of the two men. 

They did not say what caused the explosion, but did not rule out the possibility of Ukraine’s involvement. 

Local reports have also suggested that it was a suicide blast attack, possibly involving a grenade.

Gurtsiev was due to be appointed to Stavropol’s regional administration.

Stavropol Region Governor Vladimir Vladimirov and other officials offered their condolences to Gurtsiev and his family.

Gurtsiev’s death comes following a string of attacks on high-profile Russian servicemen. 

In December, the head of the Russian military’s biological and chemical weapons unit Lt. General Igor Kirillov was killed along with his deputy in an explosion in Moscow. 

Last month, an explosive device in Moscow killed senior Russian General-Lieutenant Yaroslav Moskalik. 

The attack also comes as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Thursday that Russia was engaging in ‘yet another deception’ by failing to hand over its peace settlement proposal ahead of a potential meeting between Moscow and Kyiv.

‘Even the so-called “memorandum” they promised and seemingly prepared for more than a week has still not been seen by anyone,’ Zelensky said in his nightly video address. 

‘Ukraine has not received it. Our partners have not received it. Even Turkey, which hosted the first meeting, has not received the new agenda.

‘Despite promises to the contrary, first and foremost to the the United States of America, to President (Donald) Trump: Yet another Russian deception.’

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Wednesday that Moscow had drafted a memorandum outlining a settlement position in the three-year-old conflict in Ukraine.

He suggested a second round of direct talks take place on Monday, again in the Turkish city of Istanbul.

Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan, who has maintained good ties with both sides, told reporters that Russia’s invitaation for more talks had heightened Ankara’s hopes for peace.

‘The road to a resolution goes through more dialogue, more diplomacy. We are using all our diplomatic power and potential for peace,’ Erdogan’s office quoted him as saying.

In Washington, the White House said Trump, who has been pressing both sides to move towards an agreement, hoped the proposed meeting in Istanbul would go ahead.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Thursday that Moscow had received no reply from Kyiv on whether it would attend negotiations on Monday in Istanbul .

Russia, Zelensky said in his address, was ‘doing everything to make the meetings hollow’ and Ukraine’s partners needed to intensify pressure on Moscow.

Ukrainian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Heorhii Tykhyi said that without being able to review Russia’s memorandum, Kyiv would conclude ‘it is likely filled with unrealistic ultimatums, and they are afraid of revealing that they are stalling the peace process’.

When asked to comment on Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha’s suggestion that Russia should immediately hand over the memorandum, Peskov dismissed the idea as ‘non-constructive’.

It also comes as Russian forces have taken four border villages in Ukraine’s northeastern Sumy region, days after Putin said he had ordered troops to establish a buffer zone along the border.

Sumy borders Russia’s Kursk region, where a surprise Ukrainian incursion last year captured a pocket of land in the first occupation of Russian territory since World War II. 

The long border is vulnerable to Ukrainian incursions, Putin said, and creating a buffer zone could help Russia prevent further cross-border attacks there.

Meanwhile, a Russian bombing campaign that had escalated in recent days slowed overnight, with far fewer Russian drones targeting Ukrainian towns and cities.

Moscow’s invasion has shown no signs of stopping despite months of intense U.S.-led efforts to secure a ceasefire and get traction for peace talks. 

Since Russian and Ukrainian delegations met in Turkey on May 16 for their first direct talks in three years, a large prisoner exchange has been the only tangible outcome, but negotiations have brought no significant breakthrough.