Armen Sargsyan, the leader of the pro-Russian “Arbat” battalion, has died in hospital after sustaining critical injuries in an explosion in Moscow on Monday morning, according to Russian media reports.
The blast occurred in the entrance hall of a residential building in north-west Moscow, approximately 12km (7 miles) from the Kremlin. Sargsyan was airlifted to a hospital and placed in intensive care but succumbed to his injuries, as reported by usually reliable Telegram sources.
Several others, including one of Sargsyan’s bodyguards, were also seriously injured, with some reports suggesting another fatality. Ukraine has yet to comment on the attack.
In December, Ukraine’s security service (SBU) labeled Sargsyan a “crime boss” and accused him of recruiting prisoners to fight in Ukraine. He had been on an international wanted list since May 2014 for alleged involvement in murders in central Kyiv. The SBU also stated that Sargsyan was closely connected to fugitive former Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych.
Russian state news agency TASS quoted a law enforcement official stating that the assassination attempt was “carefully planned and ordered,” with investigators working to identify those responsible.
Images circulating on social media depict a heavily damaged entrance hall with debris, shattered windows, and destroyed doorways. Olga Voronova, a 36-year-old resident nearby, told AFP she was “very scared” and questioned how such an attack occurred given the strict security measures in place.
Sargsyan, born in Horlivka, a city in Ukraine’s Russian-occupied Donetsk region, was recognized for leading a special forces battalion and serving as the head of the Boxing Federation of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People’s Republic. The “Arbat” battalion has been active in Russia’s Kursk region, where Ukrainian forces remain engaged after launching an offensive in August.
His death follows a series of targeted attacks on high-profile supporters of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. In late 2024, senior Russian naval officer Valery Trankovsky and Russian prison official Sergei Yevsyukov were killed by car bombs in Russian-occupied Ukraine.
Source: Swifteradio.com
