Azernews.Az

BAKU – Some details related to the murder of a senior Russian military officer at the Gabala radar station leased by Moscow in Azerbaijan have been disclosed.

The killing of Major Sergei Grachov took place on December 31, New Year’s Eve, Azerbaijani law enforcement sources have told the local APA news agency.

Investigators have reportedly established that a group of officers serving at the facility gathered at Grachov’s home located in the military township to celebrate the New Year. After dinner, the guests had a brawl with the host for reasons that have yet to be ascertained. The servicemen killed 47-year-old Grachov, took the money and jewelry from his home and escaped. Law enforcers were informed about the incident on January 2. Grachov was found dead in his apartment with his head cut off.

The investigation also ascertained that Grachov separated from his family several years ago. Grachov, a father of two, had lived alone for more than a year.

A group of Azerbaijani Military Prosecutor’s Office investigators has been set up to unravel the crime. The investigators have inspected the crime scene with the aid of a group of their Russian counterparts who had arrived from Moscow, and have begun questioning the personnel at the Gabala radar station that is located in northern Azerbaijan. So far, no tangible result has been achieved in disclosing the crime.

Earlier reports said that though a suspect has been detained, his identity and the motive of the murder are not disclosed.

The Gabala radar station, a mammoth Soviet-era missile defense facility has been operated by Russia since the collapse of the Soviet Union.