An officer of the commander-in-chief's assistants' department has been charged with negligent homicide, misappropriation of arms, and related charges over the death of former Commander-in-Chief Valerii Zaluzhnyi's aide last November, the State Bureau of Investigation said on March 29.
Major Hennadii Chastiakov was killed in a tragic accident on Nov. 6, 2023, in his home near Kyiv, after a grenade inside a gift package he received for his birthday exploded. Chastiakov's underage son was also injured by the blast.
According to the bureau, the suspect, who was not named, gave the grenades to Chastiakov without informing him of their authenticity. Chastiakov reportedly believed the grenades to be souvenir glasses rather than actual explosives.
The suspect confessed already in November to presenting the grenades to Chastiakov but claimed that he informed his colleague they were authentic.
Ukrainska Pravda and Liga.net reported, citing their sources, that the suspect's name is Oleh Timchenko.
If convicted, the supposed perpetrator faces up to 15 years in prison.
Martin Fornusek
