Ukranian Military May Have Used Popular Running App To Take Out Russian Navy Commander

A Russian submarine commander, Stanislav Rzhitsky was reportedly shot to death while on a run Monday, and he may have been targeted through Strava, a popular app that runners and cyclists use to track routes.

What Happened: Rzhitsky was killed in the Krasnodar region of Russia, and the culprit is still at large while officials investigate the incident. 

Kyrylo Budanov, a Ukranian military leader who is the Main Directorate of Intelligence of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine since August 2020, ‘liked’ one of Rzhitsky’s runs that Rzhitsky tracked on the Strava app on July 4. A few days later, Rzhitsky was shot while on a run.

Why It Matters: While it’s not exactly clear Budanov or Ukraine’s involvement, the social media activity has led many on social media to speculate about Rzhitsky’s murder. 

Rzhitsky made no efforts to hide his location on Strava and used his real name. Russian media outlets also reported that whoever shot Rzhitsky may have used the app. Strava is widely popular among runners and cyclists, with more than one billion activities logged through the app.

Ukraine’s Defense Intelligence provided details about the manner in which Rzhitsky was killed on Telegram but did not explicitly take responsibility for the murder, according to CNN. Rzhitsky’s murder comes after a tumultuous few weeks for the Russian military, featuring a failed coup through the Wagner group. 

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