A pro-Russian paramilitary leader, Armen Sarkisyan from eastern Ukraine was killed on Monday in a bomb blast at a Moscow residential complex. Sarkisyan was critically injured in the bomb blast and was rushed to the hospital. However, he later succumbed to his injuries.
According to TASS and other Russian media outlets, the bombing was a "well-coordinated assassination". The bomb was detonated right after Sarkisyan, accompanied by his bodyguards, entered the complex on the banks of the Moskva River.
🚨🇷🇺BOMB BLAST ROCKS MOSCOW LUXURY COMPLEX - PRO-RUSSIAN WARLORD TARGETED
— Mario Nawfal (@MarioNawfal) February 3, 2025
A powerful explosion ripped through the lobby of a high-end Moscow apartment block, killing 1 person and injuring 4 others, including Armen Sarkisyan, a pro-Russian paramilitary leader.
The bomb detonated… pic.twitter.com/tJoRrdEo3B
One of the bodyguards was killed and three others were injured in the blast. "The assassination attempt on Sarkisyan was carefully planned and was ordered. Investigators are currently identifying those who ordered the crime," TASS reported.
Ukraine had described Armenian-born Sarkisyan as a crime boss in the Donetsk region, much of which is controlled by Moscow since 2014. He was suspected of participating in and aiding "illegal armed groups".
Sarkisyan has been for long on Ukraine’s wanted list for aiding pro-Russia forces in Ukraine.
He was accused of forming a pro-Russian military unit comprising local convict fighters to fight against Kyiv's forces and also organising purchases of supplies for frontline units.
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So far no group has claimed responsibility for the blast, however, Russian security forces allege Ukraine behind the act. In December, Ukraine took credit for the killing of Russian General Igor Kirillov in a bomb blast outside a Moscow apartment building.
Kyiv has issued an international arrest warrant for Sarkisyan in 2014 over violence against pro-EU protesters during the Maiden uprising.
Sarkisyan was also the founder of the ‘Arbat’ battalion, a Russian military unit that fought alongside the Russian army since Vladimir Putin launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
