In brief
The recent explosion in Moscow has resulted in the death of Armen Sarkisyan, founder of a separatist battalion involved in the Ukraine conflict. His killing adds to the series of high-profile attacks in Russia amid ongoing hostilities with Ukraine.
A notable pro-Russia separatist leader from Ukraine, Armen Sarkisyan, was reportedly killed following a bomb explosion on Monday in a gated residence in Moscow, per multiple Russian media reports. This incident is seen as part of a series of targeted attacks against individuals opposing the Ukrainian government, further escalating tensions in the region.According to the Russian Investigative Committee, which typically manages high-stakes crimes, Sarkisyan succumbed to injuries sustained in an explosion at the Scarlet Sails apartment complex. The blast also left four others hospitalized. Russian media reports detailed that Sarkisyan had been taken to a medical facility following the explosion, but he was pronounced dead there, while one of his bodyguards was killed on-site. There have been no immediate reports naming any suspects nor clarifying whether Sarkisyan was a resident of the complex.As of now, Ukrainian officials have not provided any comments related to the explosion. This incident marks another significant blow in a sequence of violent events in Moscow, including the assassination of Russian General Igor Kirillov last December, who was killed in a bomb attack that Ukraine claimed responsibility for. Kirillov was overseeing the military's nuclear and chemical weapons protection units.Sarkisyan was previously wanted in Ukraine on charges related to orchestrating violence against anti-government protesters in Kyiv during the tumultuous events of 2014. Following these events, he became a supporter of Russia's military actions in eastern Ukraine beginning in the same year and eventually established a battalion that collaborated with Russian forces.In a Telegram message, Ivan Prikhodko, the mayor of the Russian-controlled town of Horlivka—Sarkisyan's hometown—paid tribute to the separatist leader, saying that his Arbat battalion played an indispensable role in maintaining security in parts of the Donetsk region seized by Russia.Footage shared by state-owned media, including Tass, showed the explosive aftermath at the apartment complex, with mangled glass doors clearly indicating the force of the blast. Officials in Russia have not yet released information detailing how the explosive device was planted or triggered. Dmitri S. Peskov, a spokesman for the Kremlin, refrained from commenting, instead stating that an official investigation is ongoing.
