Defence Intelligence of Ukraine (DIU) has reported that Major Oleg Stegachov, the crew commander of a Tu-95 strategic bomber, was shot dead in Engels, Russia.
Nice work. Even if he isn’t dead the benefit of morale reduction of his peers is locked in.
Would Ukraine really risk its agents in order to assassinate someone as unimportant as a pilot? Maybe this is a murder totally unrelated to the war.
Does it really matter?
If Ukraine has agents, maybe they take what shots they can as the opportunity arises.
Was there much Russian language coverage of this pilot? If he was being treated as a hero, seems valid to kill him to make anyone else think twice before attacking Ukraine to try to gain the same notoriety.
And even if they didn’t kill him, claiming it still sows confusion and gives the same effect in the end.
Even easier. The less people who can carry missile attacks, the better.
Russia is totally peaceful with absolutely no violent crime.
-Putin
I wonder how many civilians they saved by killing him.
One less imperial terrorist dropping bombs on a peaceful country.
Tut tut…shame.
