Moscow, July 12: A former Russian Navy commander was shot dead while he was jogging in the southern city of Krasnodar, according to media reports. Stanislav Rzhitsky, the 42-year-old who reportedly commanded the Krasnodar submarine, was shot in the back and the chest in a park near the Olimp sports centre, the BBC quoted Russian newspaper Kommersant as saying on Tuesday.

Russian investigators said a suspect, identified as Serhiy Denysenko, born in the Ukrainian city of Sumy in 1959, has been arrested in connection to the crime. Several Russian Telegram channels have claimed that Denysenko was the former head of the Ukrainian Karate Federation. Russia Explosion: Six Killed in Blast at Explosives Factory in Samara, Says Report.

Russia's Investigations Committee has also released a video of the alleged arrest, but the man's face is blurred in it. It later published CCTV footage allegedly of Rzhitsky on his morning run, followed by a man on a bike. Baza, a Russian Telegram channel, reported that the killer could have tracked Rzhitsky's runs on the fitness app as he regularly followed the same route while running.

A BBC analysis of Rzhitsky's profile, which is public, showed that he frequently ran through the area where he is reported to have been killed. His address and personal details had also been uploaded to the Ukrainian website Myrotvorets (Peacemaker), a vast unofficial database of people considered to be enemies of Ukraine. UK Shocker: Indian-Origin Man Stabbed to Death at Park in England; Teenager Charged.

The word "liquidated", in red letters, has now been superimposed on his photograph on the site. In a statement, Ukraine's military intelligence said the park was deserted due to heavy rain, "so there are no witnesses who could provide details or identify the attacker", the BBC reported.

Anton Gerashchenko, a Ukrainian Interior Ministry adviser, tweeted that Russian media were accusing Ukraine of involvement but he did not say whether that suspicion was justified.

In July 2022, the Krasnodar submarine had carried out a missile attack on the Ukrainian city of Vinnytsia, which killed 28 people, including three children. The Ukrainian government said the attack came from Kalibr cruise missiles launched from a submarine in the Black Sea.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jul 12, 2023 10:47 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).