The regional governor of Stavropol confirmed that Gurtsiev had died, describing him as a “hero," a veteran of Russia’s ongoing military campaign in Ukraine. The governor also said authorities were investigating all possibilities as to who might have been responsible, a theory that Ukrainian nationalists might have been behind the blast, but that no evidence had been made public. There has been no response from Ukrainian officials.

Role in Mariupol Siege
Gurtsiev was said to have been heavily involved when Russia seized Mariupol in spring 2022. He was directing the Russian air raids on different parts of the city, where many civilians were killed. Apartment blocks, hospitals, and shelters were extensively bombed in the course of the operation, which Ukrainian officials have called a war crime.

Military sources said Gurtsiev had introduced new technical systems that increased accuracy in targeting missiles. These improvements were supposedly to lend support for strikes against what Russian forces asserted were supply bases of the Azov Regiment. His participation in the siege could have made him a focus.

Russian Figures Under Attack Series
Gurtsiev’s killing is the latest in a series of attacks on Russian military and pro-war figures. In April, Deputy Chief Yaroslav Moskalik was fatally shot by a car bomb in Balashikha, near Moscow. In February, a pro-Russian paramilitary leader was killed in an explosion at a residential building in the city.

Other recent incidents include the December 2023 slaying of General Igor Kirillov, who was killed by a bomb hidden in a scooter, and the fatal shooting of the missile scientist Mikhail Shatsky in a wood near Moscow. Ex-Ukrainian MP Killed in Moscow Park; Blogger Murdered by Bomb Buried in Café Statue Both Illia Kyva, a former member of the Ukrainian parliament, was shot in a Moscow park, and Vladimir Tatarsky, a blogger, was killed in a bomb attack buried in a statue during an event at a café in St. Petersburg.
Authorities are still investigating the increase in attacks as tensions over the conflict in Ukraine linger.