Putin missile boss SHOT DEAD in Moscow ‘assassination’ after masterminding production of weapons blitzing Ukrainians

A LEADING Putin missile boss has been shot dead in Moscow after masterminding the production of weapons blitzing Ukraine.

Mikhail Shatsky was gunned down by an unknown assassin in Kuzminsky forest park, with his dead body left laying in the snow.

Reports say the scientist, an associate professor, was working actively on upgrading the Russian Kh-59 cruise missile.

There was immediate speculation that he was assassinated by Russia's enemy - the Ukrainian military intelligence.

Exiled Russian journalist Alexander Nevzorov published macabre pictures of a man’s body laying in the snow after being shot dead.

He said the deceased person was "a particularly malicious criminal" - Mikhail Shatsky.

Nevzorov added: "He was involved in upgrading the Kh-59 cruise missiles to the Kh-69 level, introducing new UAVs, and is responsible for the deaths of thousands of innocent Ukrainians."

Russian APN news agency reported: “As a result of the shooting in Kotelniki on December 11, Mikhail Shatsky, the head of the software department of the Mars Design Bureau, was killed.

“He was engaged in the modernisation of the X-59 cruise missiles and developed the latest types of UAVs [military drones].

“Ukrainian nationalists claimed responsibility for the murder.”

There was no immediate official Russian statement.

Ukraine’s public broadcaster Suspilne said it had received confirmation from Ukrainian “special services” that Shatsky had been “eliminated”.

Footage showed Russian emergency services arriving at the snow-covered scene.

Earlier there had been reports of a shooting at the park location on Tuesday without any identification of the victim.

The Kh-59 has been more closely linked to the Raduga Design Bureau than to Mars, which now dead Shatsky worked for.

But Mars had been involved in the modernisation and production of control systems for booster units and onboard control systems for Raduga-designed missiles like the Kh-59 and Kh-69.

Both the Kh-59 and Kh-69 air-launched cruise missiles have been widely used by Putin’s forces against Ukraine in the war.

Reports said no arrests had been made linked to the shock shooting.

Nationalist pro-Putin media outlet Tsargrad demanded: "Why wasn't an expert of such level guarded in any way?"

The latest suspected killing follows the assassination of Russian GRU military intelligence officer Nikita Klenkov, 44, in October.

He was killed as he drove his Hyundai Palisade SUV close to his home at military town Solnechnogorsk-2 in Moscow region.