A bomb explosion in a luxury Moscow apartment complex on Monday resulted in at least one death and four injuries, targeting a pro-Russian paramilitary leader from eastern Ukraine, according to Russian state media reports.
Armen Sarkisyan, the senior paramilitary leader, died in hospital after being critically injured in the blast. The explosion occurred in the lobby of the “Scarlet Sails” complex, located approximately 12 km from the Kremlin, just as a man with bodyguards entered the building.
Russian state news agency TASS described the incident as a carefully planned “assassination attempt” and reported that law enforcement was investigating those who may have ordered the attack. Another state news agency, RIA, noted that Sarkisyan was in critical condition, with part of his leg being amputated at the time of initial reporting.
Ukraine’s SBU security service had previously characterized Sarkisyan as a “crime boss” in the Donetsk region, which has been largely controlled by Moscow since 2014. The SBU accused him of participating in and supporting illegal armed groups, including forming a pro-Russian military formation composed of local convict fighters and organizing supply purchases for frontline units.
Video footage published by Baza, a Telegram channel with security service contacts, showed significant damage to the building’s lobby. The incident comes in the context of ongoing tensions, with Ukraine previously claiming responsibility for a similar bomb attack on Russian General Igor Kirillov in December.
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