Russian submarine captain killed by assassin on morning run

A Russian naval captain who had commanded a submarine and appeared on a Ukrainian blacklist of suspected war criminals was ambushed and executed by an assassin on his morning run.

Stanislav Rzhitsky, 42, was shot four times in the back and chest with a Makarov pistol around 6 a.m. Monday in a park in the southern city of Krasnodar, Russian authorities have confirmed.

“The park was deserted due to heavy rain, so no witnesses could provide details or identify the gunman,” according to the Defense Intelligence of Ukraine.

The killer could have tracked Rzhitsky’s movements in Krasnodar on an app where he posted details of his regular jogging route and how long he took to complete it, reported Baza, a Russian Telegram channel with ties to the security services.

Rzhitsky’s address and personal information appeared on the Ukrainian website Myrotvorets (Peacemaker) — an unofficial database of people deemed enemies of Ukraine.

On Tuesday, the word “Liquidated” in red letters had been superimposed on Rzhitsky’s photo on the blacklist site.

The popular Russian Telegram news channel Mash claimed — without providing any evidence — that it is suspected that the order to eliminate Rzhitsky came from Ukraine.

“It could have been carried out either by a Ukrainian saboteur, or by a locally hired assassin,” the outlet reported.

Rzhitsky’s headphones and smart-watch were reportedly recovered at the scene of the crime, suggesting that a robbery was not a motive.

Mash later published a grainy photo of a potential suspect — a man said to be between 30 and 40 years old, of medium build, dressed in all black except for a blue ball cap.

At the time of his death, Rzhitsky served as was deputy head of military mobilization in Krasnodar and had previously commanded the “Krasnodar” submarine in the Black Sea, reported Russian state media and war bloggers.

Rzhitsky was suspected of being involved in a submarine-launched Kalibr cruise missile strike at the city of Vinnitsa in western Ukraine in July 2022 that killed at least 23 people, including a 4-year-old girl.

At least two other pro-war Russians who appeared in the Myrotvorets database have been wiped out since the start of the conflict, including journalist Darya Dugina and military blogger Vladlen Tatarsky.

Dugina, the daughter of a far-right philosopher and staunch supporter of Russian President Vladimir Putin, died in a car bombing near Moscow in August 2022.

Tatarsky, born Maxim Fomin, was killed after being presented with a statuette laden with explosives in a St. Petersburg café in April.

Russia has blamed Ukraine for the attacks, but Kyiv has denied involvement, instead pointing a finger at internal power struggles.

With Post wires