Colonel Nikita Klenkov, a Russian officer, was shot dead near Moscow just a week after returning from the war in Ukraine. Reports indicate he served as the deputy commander of a military unit linked to the GRU’s Special Forces training center.
Ukrainian intelligence and the Security Service (SBU) have often claimed responsibility for assassinating high-profile Russian officers and Ukrainian collaborators within Russia. Notable targets include ex-Ukrainian MP Ilia Kyva and Russian military blogger Vladlen Tatarsky. These operations aim to undermine Russian military leadership and deter collaboration with Moscow.
Russian officer Col. Nikita Klenkov shot dead near Moscow, just a week after returning from the war in Ukraine. Klenkov was deputy commander of a military unit & served at GRU (Russian military intel) Special Forces training center.
Perpetrator unknown. Ukrainian intelligence… pic.twitter.com/iPxtzgqV2G
— Euromaidan Press (@EuromaidanPress) October 16, 2024
The Russian Investigative Committee reports that the assailant pulled alongside Klenkov’s car and fired multiple shots through the window, causing Klenkov to crash into a fence. He died at the scene. The shooter fled, prompting a police manhunt.
No one has claimed responsibility for the assassination, and Ukrainian intelligence has remained silent on the matter.
According to Vazhnye Istorii (Important Stories), Klenkov was registered at a GRU Special Forces training center in Solnechnogorsk-2, roughly 20 minutes from the murder site. He had been ordering food to GRU headquarters and visiting a nearby clinic.
Additionally, it has been reported that he owned a Hyundai Palisade, and evidence from the Investigative Committee suggests he was killed in a vehicle of the same model.
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