The Russian Investigative Committee announced Thursday that a senior officer was shot multiple times in the city of Engels, a key base for Russia’s strategic bomber fleet in the Saratov region. While the committee did not name the victim, Russian telegram channels identified him as Major General Nikolai Varpakhovich, commander of the 22nd Heavy Bomber Aviation Division of the Russian Aerospace Forces’ Long‑Range Aviation.
Background on the general
Varpakhovich has been singled out by Ukraine as the officer who ordered a Kh‑101 air‑to‑ground cruise missile strike on Kyiv’s Okhmatdyt children’s hospital in July 2024. The attack killed three people, including a child who succumbed to injuries days later, and caused extensive damage to intensive‑care, oncology, surgical, toxicology and trauma units. Hundreds of patients and staff were evacuated after an air‑raid alarm sounded, but three patients undergoing heart surgery remained on site when the missile struck.
Sanctions and war‑crimes charges
The general has been sanctioned by multiple countries and the European Union for his role in the 2024 hospital attack. Ukraine’s Security Service and Prosecutor General formally charged him with war crimes three days before the shooting, alleging he directed long‑range aviation units to launch the missile.
Details of the attempted assassination
According to the committee, the officer survived the attack and was taken to a local hospital before being flown to Moscow for further treatment. Local media reported that he suffered gunshot wounds to the face and torso.
Pattern of high‑profile attacks on Russian officials
Varpakhovich joins a series of senior Russian military figures who have been targeted in apparent assassinations over recent years. In December 2024, General Igor Kirillov, head of Russia’s nuclear and chemical weapons protection forces, was killed by an explosive device on a scooter. In 2023, Lt. Gen. Yaroslav Moskalik and Lt. Gen. Fanil Sarvarov were killed in car bombings in Moscow. Earlier this year, Armen Sarkisyan, founder of a pro‑Russian militia, died after a bombing in central Moscow.
Russian response
Moscow has repeatedly blamed Ukraine for these killings, though Kyiv has not officially claimed responsibility for any of them. The investigation into Varpakhovich’s shooting remains ongoing, and Russian authorities have not released further details about the perpetrators.
Original reporting: KTVZ (Central Oregon) — read the source article.
