People walk along an alley of Ukrainian soldiers' graves in Kyiv.Photo:Valentyna Polishchuk/Global Images Ukraine via Getty
Valentyna Polishchuk/Global Images Ukraine via Getty
Some immediately questioned whether the fatal incident was the result of a deadly attack, as Chastiakov’s boss, Gen. Valerii Zaluzhnyi, has at timesappeared at oddswith PresidentVolodymyr Zelenskyywhile the two lead their nation’sdefense against Russia.
But soon after Chastiakov’s death, Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko suggested there was no foul play, saying on Telegram that the explosion is being viewed as an accident, per the AP.
One of Chastiakov’s colleagues presented him with six new grenades on his 39th birthday, according to AP. While he was showing the explosives to his family at home in the village of Chaiky — located in the Kyiv region in north-central Ukraine — his son twisted one of their rings.
“The serviceman then took the grenade from the child and pulled the ring, leading to a tragic explosion,” Klymenko wrote, per AP.
The explosion killed Chastiakov, who was both an assistant and close friend to Gen. Zaluzhnyi. The National Police of Ukraine said Chastiakov’s 13-year-old son was seriously injured,The Washington Postreports.
Zaluzhnyi also shared the news on Telegram, writing that the late officer was “a reliable shoulder for me,” per thePost.
“The reasons and circumstances [surrounding his tragic death] will be established during the pre-trial investigation,” the military leader wrote.
Klymenko said that police recovered the other five grenades in Chastiakov’s home, and were able to identify the colleague who gifted him the explosives, per thePost. A search of that colleague’s office uncovered two similar grenades, he wrote, noting that “urgent investigative actions are ongoing.”
In a Facebook post, Ukrainian lawmaker Mariana Bezuhla called for a “detailed investigation,” per thePost.
“I would never have thought that Hennadii would die as a result of carelessness on his birthday,” she wrote, adding: “Grenades are issued, not given. Not kept at home.”
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According to the AP, Chastiakov’s sudden death was the second fatal tragedy in Ukraine’s military in less than a week.
source: people.com
