Bomb Explosion In Moscow Apartment Kills Pro-Russian Paramilitary Leader, Allegedly Premeditated Murder

UNSPLASH/Anton Volnuhin ILLUSTRATION

JAKARTA - A pro-Russian paramilitary leader from eastern Ukraine, Armen Sarkisyan, died when a bomb destroyed parts of a luxury apartment block in Moscow. Russian media, TASS, called the bombing a premeditated murder.

The bomb exploded just as Sarkisyan, accompanied by his bodyguards, entered the basement of the "Scarlet Sails" complex on the banks of the Moskva River just 12 km (7 miles) from the Kremlin.

A bodyguard was killed and three others injured, Kommersant newspaper said.

"The assassination attempt against Sarkisyan is carefully planned and ordered. Investigators are currently identifying who ordered the crime," TASS quoted a law enforcement official as saying Monday, February 3.

Baza, a Telegram channel that has contacts at the Russian security service, published a video showing heavy damage to the building's lobby.

Reuters journalists at the scene saw windows burst and helicopters appeared to be evacuating injured victims, amid a large number of police presences.

In December, Ukraine's SBU security service described Sarkisyan as the boss of a crime in the Donetsk region, most of whom have been controlled by Moscow since 2014, and said he was officially suspected of participating and assisting illegal armed groups'.

Sarkisyan is said to have formed a pro-Russian military unit consisting of local inmates and has arranged the purchase of supplies for frontline units.