Officer charged with manslaughter in death of former commander-in-chief Zaluzhnyi's aide

The State Bureau of Investigation has completed a pre-trial investigation into the case of officer Oleh Timchenko from the Office of the Assistant Commanders of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, who gifted grenades to his deceased colleague Hennadii Chastiakov. He is charged with manslaughter due to negligence.

Source: State Bureau of Investigation (SBI)

Quote: "The suspect has been informed of the change in the previously served notice of suspicion. He is suspected of theft, embezzlement, and trafficking of ammunition, manslaughter due to negligence, and causing grievous bodily harm due to negligence... 

The statutory provisions provide for punishment in the form of imprisonment for up to 15 years."

Details: At the initial stage of the pre-trial investigation, Timchenko was served with a notice of suspicion of illegal ammunition trafficking. On that tragic day (6 November 2023), he presented Chastiakov hand grenades to celebrate his birthday. 

However, he did not warn his colleague that the grenades were live and did not make sure that he and others present in the office understood that he was giving Chastiakov live explosive devices as a gift, the SBI emphasised. 

As a result, when Chastiakov was unpacking the "gift" at home, one of the grenades exploded in his hands. The man believed they were souvenir shot glasses, the SBI noted. 

Chastiakov died from his injuries instantly, while his underage son suffered severe bodily harm. 

After the defence and the victims have been acquainted with the materials of the pre-trial investigation, the case will be referred to court.

Background:

• A 39-year-old soldier was killed on the evening of Monday, 6 November, when a grenade exploded in his home in the village of Chaiky in Kyiv Oblast. His 13-year-old son was taken to hospital with serious injuries. The deceased, Hennadii Chastiakov, was an aide to Valerii Zaluzhnyi, former Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. 
• Zaluzhnyi confirmed the death of his aide Chastiakov under tragic circumstances and expressed his condolences to the family.
• The wife of the late Hennadii Chastiakov says that the grenade that exploded in her husband’s hands was in a gift bag that he had brought home. On 6 November, Chastiakov celebrated his birthday.
• A Ukrainska Pravda source in the General Staff noted that Chastiakov had graduated from the Military Academy in Odesa and knew exactly how to handle a grenade.
• Ihor Klymenko, Ukraine’s Minister of Internal Affairs, said that preliminary information from an investigation suggests Major Hennadii Chastiakov pulled the ring from a grenade he had been given, causing the tragic explosion.
• Oleh Timchenko, who presented the grenades to Major Hennadii Chastiakov, told the investigation that he warned Chastiakov about the authenticity of the grenades.

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