A prominent Russian military officer recently returned from the Ukraine conflict was shot and killed in Moscow, with reports suggesting the murder is linked to his service.
Nikita Klenkov, 44, the deputy head of a military unit within Russia’s Main Intelligence Directorate (GRU), was shot at close range while sitting in a car in Melenki, a village in the Moscow region, according to a law enforcement source cited by RBC.
The leading theory behind the murder revolves around Klenkov’s involvement in the ongoing war in Ukraine, as noted by the Moscow news outlet MK.
Klenkov’s unit, 43292, is known for training Russia’s Special Operations Forces (SOF), and he had only recently returned from the front lines in Ukraine, as reported by state media outlet Tass.
According to investigators, Klenkov was declared dead at the scene, with his vehicle crashing into a fence shortly after the gunfire erupted.
Authorities have launched a criminal investigation into the homicide and associated illegal arms possession, with efforts underway to determine the motive behind the attack.
Independent news outlet Important Stories disclosed that Klenkov’s vehicle was a Hyundai Palisade and that the murder scene was within a short drive from the SOF training facility. Witnesses reported that a 2012 Mitsubishi Outlander fled the scene afterward, as per the Telegram channel 112.
Tass indicated that preliminary investigations hint at the murder being “planned and ordered,” while other reports suggest the assailant was waiting for Klenkov at the village entrance and opened fire as he approached.
The head of Russia’s Investigative Committee, Alexander Bastrykin, has requested a report from the head of the regional department on the case. However, it’s still uncertain whether the attack was a politically motivated assassination. Previously, on July 24, another GRU officer survived a car bomb attack in Moscow, further intensifying concerns over security in the region, though Kyiv denied involvement.