Death of Zaluzhnyi's aide: officer who gifted grenades informed of suspicion

The State Bureau Investigation reported the information.

The investigation established that the officer had obtained 8 DM 51A2 universal offensive and defensive hand grenades without the appropriate permission. He brought them to his office and later packed six of them in a wooden gift box and put a bottle of strong alcohol inside. Two more grenades, which were kept in his closet, were seized by law enforcement. 

"He presented the box to the serviceman Hennadiy Chastiakov on the occasion of his birthday. By these actions, the officer actually committed the transfer of explosive devices," the statement said. 

Therefore, the man was served a notice of suspicion of obtaining, storing, carrying and distributing explosive devices without a permit (Part 1 of Article 263 of the Ukrainian Criminal Code).

"The pre-trial investigation is ongoing, the Bureau's officers are establishing all the facts related to the tragic event and have not yet rejected any of the versions," the State Bureau  Investigation added. 

Note: according to part one of Article 62 of the Constitution of Ukraine, a person is presumed innocent of committing a crime and shall not be subjected to criminal punishment until his or her guilt is proved by law and established by a court verdict of guilty.

What is known about the death of Zaluzhnyi's assistant Hennadiy Chastiakov

On November 6, at 5:15 p.m., a grenade explosion killed Hennadiy Chastiakov, an assistant to the Commander-in-Chief of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, Valeriy Zaluzhnyi, in the village of Chaiky, Kyiv region. Chastiakov's 13-year-old son was seriously wounded and hospitalized.

General Valeriy Zaluzhnyi, Commander-in-Chief of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, spoke about the tragedy. 

"This is an indescribable pain and a heavy loss for the Armed Forces of Ukraine and for me personally. Today, under tragic circumstances, my assistant and close friend, Major Hennadiy Chastiakov, died in his family circle on his birthday. An unknown explosive device detonated in one of his gifts. Hennadiy leaves behind a wife and four children. My deepest condolences to the family," Mr. Zaluzhnyi wrote on his Telegram channel.

A pre-trial investigation was launched into the death of the man, as well as under Article 263 of the Criminal Code "Illegal handling of ammunition.”

Ukraine’s Minister of Internal Affairs, Ihor Klymenko, said that the death of Hennadiy Chastiakov, assistant to the commander-in-chief of the Ukrainian Armed Forces Valeriy Zaluzhnyi, was caused by the explosion of a grenade that he had received as a birthday present.

On November 7, the State Bureau of Investigation was assigned to investigate the incident. Later, they stated that several versions of Chastiakov's death were being considered in the criminal proceedings. The main version is an accident caused by careless handling of ammunition.