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Ukraine remains the most mined country in the world. Nearly one-third of Ukraine's territory, approximately 174,000 square kilometers, had been mined since Russia began its full-scale invasion of the country in February 2022.

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Zaluzhnyi's aide killed in explosion at home near Kyiv

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Zaluzhnyi's aide killed in explosion at home near Kyiv
Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Valerii Zaluzhnyi is seen during official celebrations for Ukrainian Independence Day on Aug. 24, 2023, in Kyiv, Ukraine. Illustrative purposes only. (Alexey Furman/Getty Images)

Major Hennadii Chastiakov, an assistant of Ukraine's Commander-in-Chief Valerii Zaluzhnyi, was killed by an explosive device in his home, Zaluzhnyi announced on Nov. 6.

The officer was killed on his birthday by explosives present in one of the gifts, Ukraine's top general wrote on his Telegram channel.

The reasons and circumstances of the officer's death are to be established in a pre-trial investigation, he added.

The media reported earlier that the 39-year-old Zaluzhnyi's assistant was killed in an explosion at his home in Chaiky, Kyiv Oblast. The officer's 13-year-old son was seriously injured in the explosion and is in medical care, according to authorities.

Chastiakov's wife reportedly said that her husband was killed by a grenade contained in a gift bag with alcohol he brought home, Ukrainska Pravda reported, citing its sources in law enforcement.

"From the beginning of the full-scale invasion, Hennadii was a reliable shoulder for me, completely devoting his life to the Armed Forces of Ukraine and the fight against Russian aggression," Zaluzhnyi said in his condolences.

The officer is survived by his wife and four children.

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Martin Fornusek

Senior News Editor

Martin Fornusek is a news editor at the Kyiv Independent. He has previously worked as a news content editor at the media company Newsmatics and is a contributor to Euromaidan Press. He was also volunteering as an editor and translator at the Czech-language version of Ukraïner. Martin studied at Masaryk University in Brno, Czechia, holding a bachelor's degree in security studies and history and a master's degree in conflict and democracy studies.

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