Russian lieutenant colonel Alexei Chernykh killed by drone while mowing lawn

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A Russian police lieutenant colonel has been killed in a drone strike while mowing his lawn in a settlement near the Ukrainian border, according to local reports.

Alexei Chernykh, deputy chief of a local branch of the anti-corruption police, was doing yardwork at his country residence in the village of Schetinovka, Belgorod region, on Sunday when a drone dropped a bomb onto his property, reported the Telegram channel Baza, which has ties to Russian security services.

“Alexei had a day off and was mowing the lawn,” the channel reported.

Chernykh would have turned 40 years old Tuesday, according to information on his social media account.

Chernykh’s home was said to be located just a third of a mile from the border with Ukraine, according to a report by another Telegram channel, Bedgorod.

Earlier, Belgorod Governor Vyacheslav Gladkov accused Ukraine of launching a drone that killed a “civilian” in Schetinovka.

The governor did not name the victim in his Telegram post commenting on the strike.

Gladkov said the man died of shrapnel wounds after an explosive fell onto his “summer cottage” while he was mowing the grass.

Ukraine has not commented on the deadly incident in Belgorod and almost never claims public responsibility for attacks inside Russia, which have significantly intensified in recent months.

Due to its proximity to the border, the Belgorod region has been experiencing drone strikes on a nearly daily basis.

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