State Bureau of Investigations to investigate death of aide of Ukraine's Commander-in-Chief

The State Bureau of Investigations of Ukraine (SBI) is to investigate the death of Hennadii Chastialov, Aide of Valerii Zaluzhnyi, Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, caused by a grenade explosion.

Source: National Police of Ukraine; press service of SBI in a comment for Ukrainska Pravda

Quote by the Police: "Criminal proceedings concerning the receipt of the grenade which led to the soldier’s death were directed to the SBI."

Details: Reportedly, on 7 November the criminal proceeding added to the Unified Register of Pre-Trial Investigations by the Kyiv Oblast Police on the fact of a grenade detonation in the village of Chaiky in Kyiv Oblast which led to the death of a soldier was handed to the SBI by the Prosecutor’s Office.

The press service of the SBI has confirmed this information in a comment for Ukrainska Pravda and remarked that another article (Article 410.4 "Stealing, appropriation, demanding of weapons, ammunition, explosives or other attack substances, means of transport, military or special equipment or other military property by a soldier, as well as taking hold of them through extortion or abuse of office committed in the conditions of martial law") was added to the qualification of the proceeding (initiated on the sign of offences provided for in the Articles 115.1 and 263.1 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine).

Previously: The Special Prosecutor's Office of the Central region announces the start of an investigation into the tragedy. It is noted that according to the investigation, on 6 November, the deceased was celebrating his birthday. He returned home with gifts from colleagues – among them was a gift box, which, among other things, contained six Western-type grenades marked as D5.

One of the grenades was picked up by the son of the soldier. Taking the grenade from the child, the officer pulled out the ring, which provoked an explosion. The 39-year-old major died on the spot. His 13-year-old son was hospitalised with severe injuries, and the 11-year-old daughter received minor injuries. 

Law enforcement officers seized five more such grenades at the scene.

The man who presented the grenades to Major Hennadii Chastiakov, claimed that he warned Chastiakov about the grenades being authentic.

Background: 

• A 39-year-old soldier was killed on the evening of Monday, 6 November, when a grenade exploded in his home in the village of Chaiky in Kyiv Oblast. His 13-year-old son was taken to hospital with serious injuries. The deceased, Hennadii Chastiakov, was an aide to Valerii Zaluzhnyi, Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. 
• Zaluzhnyi confirmed the death of his aide Chastiakov under tragic circumstances and expressed his condolences to the family.
• The wife of the late Hennadii Chastiakov says that the grenade that exploded in her husband’s hands was in a gift bag that he had brought home. On 6 November, Chastiakov celebrated his birthday.
• A Ukrainska Pravda source in the General Staff noted that Chastiakov had graduated from the Military Academy in Odesa and knew exactly how to handle a grenade.
• Ihor Klymenko, Ukraine’s Minister of Internal Affairs, said that preliminary information from an investigation suggests Major Hennadii Chastiakov pulled the ring from a grenade he had been given, causing the tragic explosion.

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