An explosion rocked the lobby of an upscale apartment complex in Moscow on Monday, February 3, leaving at least one dead and four injured. According to the state news agency TASS, the attack targeted a pro-Russian paramilitary leader from eastern Ukraine.
The explosive device detonated just as a man escorted by bodyguards was entering the lobby of the “Scarlet Sails” complex, located on the banks of the Moskva River, just 12 kilometers from the Kremlin, Russian media reported.
TASS cited law enforcement sources who described the explosion as an “assassination attempt” and identified the target as Armen Sarkisyan, whom Ukraine has accused of war crimes in the Donetsk region. Despite receiving medical attention, Sarkisyan died at the hospital. One of his bodyguards was also reported dead.
So far, no group has claimed responsibility for the attack, and the perpetrators remain under investigation. “The attack on Sarkisyan was carefully planned and carried out on order. Investigators are currently working to identify those behind it,” TASS quoted a law enforcement official as saying.
Initially, Russian media reported that Sarkisyan had died in the explosion, but later stated that he had survived in critical condition. His death was eventually confirmed.
The Telegram channel Baza, which has links to Russian security services, released a video showing significant damage to the building’s lobby.
Meanwhile, the RIA Novosti news agency cited an emergency services official who confirmed that the explosion was caused by an “explosive device.”
According to Russian media, Sarkisyan founded a battalion to fight in Ukraine in 2022. In December, Ukraine’s Security Service (SBU) identified him as a “crime boss” in the Donetsk region, much of which has been controlled by Moscow since 2014, and accused him of collaborating with “illegal armed groups.”
That same month, Ukraine claimed responsibility for attacks in the Donetsk region as well as the assassination of Russian General Igor Kirillov, who was killed by a bomb explosion outside a residential building in Moscow.
