Additional Coverage:
Moscow Explosion Claims Life of Pro-Russian Paramilitary Leader
A morning explosion in a Moscow residential building has killed the leader of a pro-Russian paramilitary group operating in eastern Ukraine. Armen Sargsyan, head of the “Arbat” battalion, died from injuries sustained in the blast.
The explosion ripped through the entrance hall of the building, located northwest of the Kremlin. Sargsyan was transported by helicopter to a local hospital for intensive care, but ultimately succumbed to his injuries.
Reports indicate others were also injured, including one of Sargsyan’s bodyguards. Some sources suggest another individual may have died in the blast.
Ukrainian officials have not yet released a statement regarding the incident. However, Ukrainian security service records indicate Sargsyan was wanted internationally, suspected of recruiting prisoners to fight in Ukraine and involved in murders in Kyiv. He was also reportedly connected to former Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych.
Law enforcement officials suspect the explosion was a planned assassination, and an investigation is underway.
The force of the blast significantly damaged the building’s entrance hall, shattering windows and doorways. Residents expressed shock and fear, citing the building’s normally tight security measures.
Sargsyan, originally from the occupied Ukrainian city of Horlivka, was lauded by the city’s mayor as the founder and leader of the “Arbat” special forces battalion. He also headed the Boxing Federation of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People’s Republic.
The “Arbat” battalion is known to be active in Russia’s Kursk region, a site of ongoing conflict with Ukrainian forces.
This incident follows a string of attacks targeting prominent figures supporting Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, both in Moscow and occupied territories. Recent incidents include car bomb fatalities of a Russian naval officer and a prison official in Russian-occupied Ukraine. A Ukrainian source also linked Ukrainian security services to the deaths of a Russian general and his assistant in Moscow last December.