Russian GRU Colonel, 44, Assassinated Near Moscow in Organized Hit After Ukraine Return

Oct 16, 2024, 03:48 PM

A Russian military officer, Colonel Nikita Klenkov, a high-ranking GRU officer, was assassinated in the Moscow region in what appears to be an organized hit, according to TASS state news agency. Klenkov, 44, was deputy commander of the GRU's Special Operations Forces Training Center (unit #43292) located near Solnechnogorsk. He was shot multiple times, reportedly eight times through the driver's window at point-blank range, while driving his car in a village about 20 minutes from the Training Center. The assassin is believed to have waited for Klenkov's car before opening fire. Klenkov had returned from fighting in Ukraine about a week ago. Russian investigative authorities are examining the incident.