Commander-in-Chief Valeriy Zaluzhny stated that the death of his assistant, Hennadii Chastiakov, occurred on his birthday when an unknown explosive device detonated in one of the gifts. Zaluzhny made this announcement in his Telegram channel.
"Unspeakable pain and heavy loss for the Armed Forces of Ukraine and for me personally. Today, under tragic circumstances, on his birthday, my assistant and close friend, Major Hennadii Chastiakov, died in the family circle. An unknown explosive device went off in one of the gifts. He is survived by his wife and four children. My deepest condolences to the family… From the beginning of the full-scale invasion, Hennadii was a reliable support for me, completely devoting his life to the Armed Forces of Ukraine and the fight against russian aggression. The reasons and circumstances will be established during the pre-trial investigation", - Zaluzhny wrote.
As reported, the spokesperson of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, Mariana Reva, informed Ukrainska Pravda publication that a serviceman died due to mishandling a grenade in the village of Chaiky, the Kyiv oblast. The publication noted that she was referring to Hennadii Chastiakov.