Gennady Chastyakov received a poisoned gift for his birthday on Monday. Or rather, explosive. This close advisor to the commander-in-chief of the Ukrainian army was killed in the explosion of a grenade he had received as a gift, announced Interior Minister Igor Klymenko.
“Today was Major Chastyakov’s birthday. He returned home after work with gifts from his colleagues, which he began to show to his family,” Igor Klymenko explained on Telegram. “He took a gift package with grenades inside and started showing one of the ammo to his son. These were grenades of the new Western model,” he continued.
“The soldier took the grenade from the child’s hands”
“At first, his son took the ammunition in his hands and started turning the pin. The soldier then took the grenade from the child and pulled the pin, causing a tragic explosion,” the minister added. Igor Klymenko said five other unexploded grenades of the same type were found in the apartment. “The police found the soldier who gave the fatal gift. His office was searched and two other similar grenades were seized,” added the minister.
He announced that an investigation is underway. Commander-in-chief Valery Zalouzhny said he felt “indescribable pain” after the death of his advisor. The death of Gennadyi Chastyakov is “a heavy loss for the Ukrainian armed forces and for me personally,” he regretted in a press release.