Commander-in-Chief of the Ukrainian Armed Forces Valery Zaluzhny announced the death of his “aide and close friend” Major Gennady Chastyakov on Monday.
"My aide and close friend Major Gennady Chastyakov died under tragic circumstances today, on his birthday, in the bosom of the family. An unidentified explosive device went off in one of the gifts," Zaluzhny wrote on his Telegram channel.
There are several theories of what happened to the assistant to Ukraine’s top general circulating in media reports. Sputnik takes a look at what is currently known about Chastyakov’s death.
The incident occurred on the evening of November 6, at 17:15 Moscow time, at Major Gennady Chastyakov’s home in the village of Chaiki, Kiev region. Chastyakov was celebrating his 39th birthday, surrounded by members of his family, including his wife and four children. He had returned home with gift bags and presents from colleagues, and was opening them to show to his relatives.
According to Valery Zaluzhny, Chastyakov died due to the explosion of an unidentified device. The commander-in-chief of the Ukrainian Armed Forces wrote as much in his post on social media.
However, Ukraine’s Interior Ministry stated that preliminary findings show Chastyakov died as a result of "mishandling munitions," citing information from police and investigators.
“He took out a gift box containing grenades, and began to show one the ammunition to his son. These were new Western-style grenades,” the head of the Ministry of Internal Affairs Igor Klimenko wrote on Telegram.
According to Klimenko, Chastyakov’s 13-year-old son took one of the grenades in his hands and “began to twist the ring.” After this, his Father “took the grenade from the child and pulled at the ring, provoking a tragic explosion.”
Another five such unexploded grenades were discovered in Gennady Chastyakov’s house, and will be subjected to expert evaluation as part of the investigation, added the Ministry of Internal Affairs. According to Klimenko, after searching the office of the colleague who had presented the “gift,” police found two more similar grenades.
Unverified footage circulated by local media and purportedly taken at the site of the incident shows hand grenades scattered among the gift bags and presents.
The blast also seriously wounded Chastyakov’s son, who was hospitalized, Maryana Reva, spokeswoman for the Ministry of Internal Affairs, said on Ukrainian television.
However, Ukrainian media outlets have also been giving a different account of what took place that day. Cited sources claim that according to the widow of the deceased, one of the presents contained an explosive device. The gift bag in question reportedly contained a bottle of alcohol and wine glasses shaped like grenades. The gift was presented by a senior assistant to the deputy commander-in-chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Alexander Timchenko, as per media reports.
Major Gennady Chastyakov graduated from the Military Academy in Odessa and knew exactly how to handle a grenade, one source at Ukraine’s General Staff told a local media publication.
“With a 99.9% probability, this was a tragic incident,” another source was cited as saying, adding there is no reason to talk about an “assassination attempt.”
Gennady Chastyakov’s death can be seen as a message to Valery Zaluzhny from Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky, said advisor to the head of the Donetsk People's Republic Yan Gagin. Gagin said a ‘split’ between Zelensky and Zaluzhnyi has been evident for a long time, and called the circle of top Ukrainian officials a "viper’s nest."
Earlier, Zaluzhny admitted that Kiev needed to take a massive technological leap to break the current "stalemate" in its counteroffensive against Russian troops. “There will, most likely, be no deep and beautiful breakthrough,” he highlighted in an interview with UK magazine The Economist. The general also acknowledged that “NATO’s textbooks” and “the math” that Kiev did to plan the counteroffensive failed to prevent Russian forces from effectively stopping Ukrainian troops in their tracks.
Zaluzhny's “stalemate” comment was slammed as inappropriate by Zelensky aide Ihor Zhovkva. As to the Ukrainian president, he also challenged Zaluzhny’s dismal assessment of the situation at the front.
“Time has passed, people are tired, regardless of their status, and this is understandable. But this is not a stalemate, I emphasize this once again,” Zelensky said in a joint press conference with European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen.
Late last month, a British newspaper reported that Ukraine's botched counteroffensive caused friction between Zaluzhny and President Volodymyr Zelensky. According to the paper, Zelensky insists on further counteroffensive attempts, while Zaluzhny says the focus should be on the Ukrainian army holding current positions and preparing for next year's assault.