The
Donetsk News Agency quoted the command as saying two versions of Givi’s death
were under consideration at the moment.
DONETSK,
February 10. /TASS/. Investigative agencies of the self-proclaimed unrecognized
Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR) have proved collaboration between the Ukrainian
secret services and a number of individuals involved in the assassination of
Mikhail Tolstykh, the commander of the Somalia battalion of the Donbass
self-defense guard who was more broadly known under the nickname Givi, the DPR
operational command said on Thursday.
The
Donetsk News Agency quoted the command as saying two versions of Givi’s death
were under consideration at the moment. Number one suggested the use of a Shmel
antipersonnel flamethrower and the second, demolition of an explosive.
Eduard
Basurin, the official spokesman for the DPR operational command said earlier he
was confident Givi’s assassination had been steered by the Ukrainian secret
services. He also said he did not rule out a possible involvement of Zoryan
Shkiryak, an advisor to the Ukrainian Interior Minister in the operation to
eliminate the intrepid commander.
Givi,
36 at the time of his death, was killed on February 8 by a shot from a Shmel
antipersonnel flamethrower. He was buried at the same cemetery as another
famous commander of the Donbass self-defense forces, Arsen Pavlov (nicked
Motorola) who was killed in the night hours of October 16 inside his house in
Donetsk. Their graves are located close to each other.
Donetsk
republic authorities called a three-day morning in connection with his death.
The
Office of the Donetsk republic’s Main Military Prosecutor ordered a criminal
investigation of the assassination.
Source: ITAR-TASS 11-02-2017
