Top commander’s aide ‘killed in front of son after birthday gift exploded’
Ukraine’s commander-in-chief Valery Zaluzhnyi has revealed that his assistant and close friend has been killed in an explosion apparently caused by a birthday present, writes The Independent.
The country’s interior minister claimed that Major Hennady Chastyakov died in a blast caused by Western grenades gifted to him by a colleague, and that an investigation was under way. His 13-year-old son was also reported to be seriously injured.
It came as Ukraine mourned the loss of 19 soldiers killed in a Russian strike at an awards ceremony in the Zaporizhzhia region last week. Volodymyr Zelensky has ordered an investigation into the “avoidable tragedy”.
Meanwhile, the country’s deputy foreign minister condemned what he said was an attack on Odesa’s National Art Museum. At least five people were injured and the walls of the museum – a Unesco World Heritage site – were damaged when it was attacked by drone, Ukraine officials said.
