First Deputy Head of Stavropol Zaur Gurtsiev.

Zaur Gurtsiev was born in North Ossetia, writes the telegram channel "KrylyaTV Ossetia".

According to information provided by Russian media, Gurtsiev organized air strikes on Mariupol in 2022.

He allegedly introduced his "additions" to missile guidance technology, which allowed the occupiers to increase their effectiveness. Russian portals write that in this way Gurtsiev helped hit the supply base of the Azov Brigade, which defended Mariupol in 2022.

During the Russian bombing of Mariupol in 2022, thousands of civilians may have died under the rubble. One of the Russian air bombs destroyed the Mariupol Drama Theater in March 2022, where, according to Associated Press estimates, up to 600 people died.

According to UN estimates, up to 90% of residential buildings and up to 60% of private homes in the city were damaged or destroyed as a result of the fighting. Three hospitals were destroyed and four more were damaged, which together account for 90% of the city's hospital capacity.

23 schools and 28 kindergartens were also destroyed. According to Ukrainian authorities, losses during the fighting in Mariupol amounted to at least 22,000 to 25,000 people, of whom 5,000 to 7,000 died under the rubble of bombed buildings.

By the end of December 2022, approximately 10,300 mass graves had been discovered in the Mariupol region, leading the AP to estimate that the number of civilians killed could be as high as 75,000.

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In September 2024, Gurtsiev was appointed first deputy head of Stavropol,

28.5.2025 killed by grenade on the street at Stavropol

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Stavropol Region Governor Vladimir Vladimirov wrote that Gurtsiev died "as a result of a night incident on Chekhov Street," without specifying what kind of incident it was. He added that law enforcement and intelligence services were working at the scene. "All versions are being considered, including the organization of a terrorist attack involving Nazis from Ukraine," he said.

Stavropol Mayor Ivan Ulyanchenko previously reported that "an explosion occurred" near a residential building at 85/19 Chekhov Street, killing two men.

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Zaurs Gurtsiev is one of 83 participants in the educational program "Time of Heroes", initiated by the President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin and implemented by the Higher School of Public Administration of the Presidential Academy.

Like all participants in the program, after the first module, Zaurs Gurtsiev completed an internship in recent weeks, after which he was appointed to the position of First Deputy Mayor of Stavropol.

"I am very grateful for this opportunity to contribute to the development of my hometown to my mentor - the Governor of the Stavropol Territory Vladimir Vladimirov and the Head of the Stavropol City Ivan Ivanovich Ulyanchenko. During my internship, I studied the work of the municipality, in particular its structural units, the urban planning committee, the urban economy committee, the economic development committee. I got acquainted with the work of the city districts.

I am already applying the knowledge I gained in the "Time of Heroes" program in my work. I would like to thank the speakers who spoke before us, the teachers of RANEPA and the State Administration University for this," Zaurs Gurciev commented on his appointment.

Speaking about what he received from the presidential training program, the participant especially noted the effectiveness of the practical nature of the acquired skills: "The program "Time of Heroes" is very intensive, therefore it provides the necessary knowledge base for transfer to the state civil service. The program included a lot of useful and important knowledge that will be useful to each participant," Gurtsiev shared.

He also said that he was very impressed by working with Vladimir Vladimirov and the comprehensive support provided during the internship. "I would like to learn from my mentor how to manage a large and complex region. He very reverently delve into problems of a different nature, including social and economic ones, which I would also like to master," Gurtsiev added.

Zaur Alexandrovich Gurtsiev spent his entire childhood in Stavropol. His entire career before his appointment to the Stavropol administration was connected with military service. Since 2019, Zaurs Gurtsiev has headed the combat control center of the Air Force and Air Defense Army (and the interaction of aviation with ground forces). He has been awarded the Order of Courage for leading the air part of the Mariupol liberation operation and the Order "For Military Merit" for Avdiivka. He was also awarded the Order of Merit for the Fatherland, II degree medal with swords, the Order of Merit for the Fatherland, I degree medal with swords, the Zhukov Medal and the Suvorov Medal.

In May of this year, Zaurs Gurtsiev became one of 83 participants in the "Time of Heroes" program and began training.