A Russian submarine commander was shot to death in the southern Russian city of Krasnodar on Monday, the apparent details of which were revealed by Ukrainian intelligence that stopped short of claiming responsibility for the shooting.
Stanislav Rzhitsky was killed earlier this week by an "unknown person," Russian state news agency TASS reported, adding that "the motive for the crime is being investigated."
Suspects for Rzhitsky's death have been identified, according to TASS.
Ukraine's Defense Intelligence disclosed how Rzhitsky was apparently shot, in an unusually detailed statement on Telegram. The agency did not explicitly take responsibility for the commander's death.
"The submariner was jogging in the '30th Anniversary of Victory' park in Krasnodar. Around 6 a.m., he was shot seven times with a Makarov pistol. As a result of the gunshot wounds, Rzhitsky died on the spot," the statement said.
"Due to heavy rain, the park was deserted, so there were no witnesses who could provide details or identify the attacker."
Rzhitsky commanded one of Russia's Kilo-class submarine of the Black Sea fleet, capable of firing Kalibr cruise missiles, according to the Ukrainian statement and Russian news reports.
Submarine-launched missile attacks have been responsible for some of the most destructive strikes on Ukrainian cities, including one almost exactly a year ago on the central city of Vinnytsia which killed dozens of people, including three children.
A later statement by the Strategic Communications department of Ukraine's armed forces sought -- on the face of it -- to downplay suggestions Kyiv might have carried out the attack.
In language striking a detached, perhaps even sarcastic tone, the statement said Rzhitsky had come to the conclusion that missile strikes that killed civilians were ineffective.
"Obviously, he was eliminated by his own men for refusing to continue to carry out combat orders from his command regarding missile attacks on peaceful Ukrainian cities," the statement concluded.
