• Mon. May 20th, 2024

Ukrainian Aide to Commander-in-Chief Killed by Grenade Concealed as Birthday Gift

Nov 8, 2023

The Ukraine’s armed forces are mourning the sudden death of its army major identified as the aide to the country’s commander-in-chief. The country’s Special Prosecutor’s Office confirmed the Monday November 6 freak incident where the army major was killed after setting off the grenade inside his home reportedly as a birthday gift.

Top Ranking Ukrainian Military Dies Unboxing Birthday Gifts                                    

Ukraine’s armed forces acknowledged the freak accident that eliminated Major Gennady Chastyakov. The statement confirmed the thirty-nine year old served as the aide to Valery Zaluzhny – the country’s commander-in-chief who perished while unboxing the birthday gifts.

The Special Prosecutor’s Office indicated that the agency is investigating the freak incident. The statement indicated that Chastyakov died shortly after returning home carrying with him various birthday gifts handed by colleagues. The statement indicated that among the gifts were half a dozen Western-style grenades. 

Preliminary investigation revealed that Chastyakov’s son settled on one of the six grenades. The major reached out to take the grenade only to pull out the pin, thereby setting off the loud explosion. 

The investigators indicated that the explosion took out Chastyakov instantly with the 13-year-old suffering serious injuries. Fortunately, the 11-year-old daughter survived the blast with minor injuries. 

Investigating the Killer Birthday Gift

Ukraine’s Internal Affairs Ministry’s spokesperson Maryana Reva indicated awareness of the identity of the individual who possibly gifted the grenades to the army major. However, the identity remained nondisclosed. She added that Chastyakov exhibited unawareness that the grenades were real.

Reva confirmed in a national TV interview that the individual who gifted the high-level military assistant admitted giving the gifts. She added that the individuals alerted Chastyakov the grenades were live. Nonetheless, the deceased hardly believed the information.  

Reva disclosed that the initial investigation pointed out that careless handling of the live ammunition led to the freak accident. She added that the collected evidence and testimony confirming it was an accident. 

Reva indicated that the evidence collection and interviews are underway as the authorities pursue further details related to the incident. However, she illustrated that the investigation led to the discovery of two similar grenades from the man who reportedly handed Chastyakov the deadly gift.

Chastyakov Hailed for Steadfast Military Service

Commander-in-Chief Zaluzhny acknowledged and mourned the death of his aide turned close friend. The army leader disclosed in a telegram post the unspeakable pain caused by Chastyakov’s death. He labeled the death as causing a heavy loss for the country’s Armed Forces.

Zaluzhny mourned the loss of a personal friend on his birthday. He indicated that Gennady left behind a wife and four children. He hailed Chastyakov’s military service as steadfast since the onset of Russia’s full-scale invasion. 

Zaluzhny profiled Gennady as a reliable shoulder and one that devoted his life to the course of challenging and resisting the Russian aggression.