Zaluzhnyi confirms death of his aide

Zaluzhnyi said this in a post on Telegram, Ukrinform reports.

"Indescribable pain and a heavy loss for the Armed Forces of Ukraine and for me personally. Today, under tragic circumstances, my aide and close friend, Major Hennadii Chastiakov died in the family circle on his birthday," Zaluzhnyi wrote.

According to him, an unknown explosive device was activated in one of the gifts.

"Since the beginning of the full-scale invasion, Hennadii has been a reliable friend for me who fully devoted 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," Zaluzhnyi added.

Chastiakov has a wife and four children.

The Ukrainska Pravda news outlet, citing its own sources, reported that the wife of the deceased said a grenade exploded in her husband's hands and that it was in a gift bag that he brought home.

Photo credit: Ukrainska Pravda

According to sources, the wife said that her husband brought a gift bag with a bottle of alcohol and gift glasses in the form of grenades. An explosion occurred when he opened the bag.

Earlier reports that a Ukrainian serviceman was killed and his 13-year-old son was seriously injured in a grenade explosion in the village of Chaiky, Kyiv region. The deceased is Hennadii Chastiakov who worked as an aide to Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Valerii Zaluzhnyi.