Zaur Gurtsev was born on June 29, 1990, in Vladikavkaz. In 2012, he graduated from the Military Academy of Communications named after Marshal of the Soviet Union S. M. Budyonny of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation, earning a degree in engineering. He has been serving in the Russian Armed Forces since 2007. Since 2019, he has been the head of the Center for Combat Management of the Air Force and Air Defense of the Army. He has received awards for his bravery in the liberation of Mariupol and Avdiivka. Since May 2024, he has been studying under the presidential personnel program "Time of Heroes" and has been interning with the Governor of Stavropol Krai, Vladimir Vladimirov, and the Mayor of Stavropol, Ivan Ulyanchenko. On September 23, 2024, he was appointed First Deputy Mayor of Stavropol, responsible for cooperation with law enforcement agencies and the prevention of terrorism and extremism. On May 29, 2025, Zaur Gurtsev was killed in a terrorist attack in the courtyard of a house on Chekhova Street in Stavropol, and he was buried in Stavropol at the Krestovozdvizhensky Cemetery. He was awarded the Order of Courage, the Order of Military Merit, the Order of Merit for the Fatherland, 1st and 2nd classes, the Zhukov Medal, and the Suvorov Medal.