A close adviser to the commander-in-chief of the Ukrainian army died after a grenade hidden among his birthday gifts exploded, BBC reported. The incident happened when Major Hennadiy Chastyakov, 39, had returned to his flat with presents from his colleagues and was opening them with his son.
''At first, the son took the munition in his hands and began to turn the ring. Then the serviceman took the grenade away from the child and pulled the ring, causing a tragic explosion,'' Ukraine's interior minister, Igor Klymenko said. His 13-year-old son also suffered serious injuries.
The news of his death was confirmed by General Valery Zaluzhny, the commander-in-chief of the Ukrainian army, on his Telegram page.
''Inexplicable pain and a heavy loss for the armed forces and for me personally. My aide and close friend Major Gennady Chastyakov died under tragic circumstances today, on his birthday, in the bosom of the family. An unidentified explosive device went off in one of the gifts'', Mr Zaluzhny wrote on his Telegram channel.
He also praised the officer and offered his condolences to Mr. Chastyakov's wife and his four children.
"From the beginning of the full-scale invasion, Gennadiy was a reliable shoulder for me, completely devoting his life to the Armed Forces of Ukraine and the fight against Russian aggression," he added.
His death was initially reported as a suspected assassination using a booby-trapped gift until further details emerged. As per Ukrainska Pravda, his wife revealed that the gift was a package containing a bottle of alcohol and shot glasses in the shape of grenades. When the police searched the apartment, five more live grenades were found.
A security source also told the publication that Major Chastiako was a graduate of a military academy and fully trained in handling grenades.
Police have now identified a fellow soldier who gave the fatal gift, Mr Klymenko said, adding an investigation was underway.
Attacks targeting Ukrainian leaders have been relatively rare since Moscow invaded, but there have been several attacks on nationalists which Russia has blamed on Ukraine.
