Vadim Zimin, who is now retired from the Federal Security Service, was in charge of a briefcase containing the nuclear tests that always accompanies the Russian president. The 53-year-old was shot in his apartment near Moscow and remains seriously ill in the intensive care unit, according to reports. Read more related articles Read more related articles The former military leader had previously transferred the nuclear briefcase as an aide to former President Boris Yeltsin, according to the Mirror. He continued to work for the security service and secured the role of colonel under Vladimir Putin’s successor, but his exact role as leader of the Kremlin is unknown. Zimin was found shot in the kitchen of his apartment in Krasnogorsk, in the Moscow region. At the time, his wife, a common law doctor, was missing to treat the wounded of Putin’s war in Ukraine. A frame taken from a Russian television show shows a series of briefcases containing codes for launching Russian nuclear missiles. (Image: REUTERS) The shooting occurred as Zimin was facing criminal charges for alleged bribery after joining a senior customs service, Moskovsky Komsomolets said. He was under house arrest for the criminal case. He had denied any wrongdoing. Jimin was discovered by his brother – who was allegedly in the bathroom at the time of the shooting on Monday. Read more related articles Read more related articles He lay in a pool of blood with a wound on his head. A traumatic Izh 79-9TM pistol was nearby. There is only one photo of the secretive colonel. The briefcase contains the launching device for the Kremlin strategic missiles. Putin is known for mocking the West by insisting that the nuclear-bearing officer be seen by his side. Ukrainian President Says People Must Be “Ready” for Russia to Take Up Nuclear Weapons (Image: Stock Photo) He did so in April when he attended the funeral of supranationalist politician Vladimir Zirinovsky in Moscow. Meanwhile, dramatic footage emerged yesterday showing the 55th Russian colonel who died in the war being blown up when a Ukrainian missile struck his helicopter. Lt. Col. Sergey Gundorov, 51, was beaten near Volnovakha in Donbas. The military helicopter flew after being hit by a portable surface-to-air missile. The hit Mi-35 hit the ground before spinning the cart over a narrow strip of forest and crashing into a fireball in a field. The explosion shows flames and black smoke. A second Russian helicopter appears to be firing bait flares and apparently escaped unscathed. Gudorov is the 55th known Russian colonel to be killed in Vladimir Putin’s war in Ukraine. Do not miss the latest news from all over Scotland and beyond – Subscribe to our daily newsletter here.
