High-ranking GRU officer shot dead in Moscow Oblast, Russian media reports

Nikita Klenkov, a deputy commander of a unit for Russia’s military intelligence agency (GRU), was shot dead in Moscow Oblast by an unknown assailant, Russian media reported on Oct. 16.
Klenkov, 44, was reportedly the deputy commander of GRU unit 43292, which serves as training center for Special Operations Forces, the Moscow Times reported.
Russian Telegram channel Baza reported that Klenkov was shot at on the side of a road in the town of Melenki, east of Moscow. The assailant reportedly fire eight shots from the window of a car.
According to Russian state media outlet TASS, Klenkov “returned home a week ago” from Ukraine’s front line, according to a GRU source.
Russian state media reported that an investigation into the shooting is ongoing.
The Kyiv Independent could not verify any of the reports in Russian state media.
It is currently unclear if the attack was intended as a politically-motivated assassination. Kyiv has not commented on the situation.
In July, another officer from Russia’s GRU had his feet blown off in a car bomb attack in Moscow.
Kyiv denied any involvement in that attack. Ukrainian presidential adviser Mykhailo Podolyak told independent Russian media he believed there was “a malfunction with the gas equipment in the car.”