One person has been reported dead and four others injured following a bomb explosion in the lobby of a luxury apartment building in Moscow.
According to the state news agency TASS, the attack was aimed at a pro-Russian paramilitary leader from eastern Ukraine.
The explosion occurred as a man accompanied by bodyguards entered the lobby of the “Scarlet Sails” complex, situated on the banks of the Moskva River, just 12 km from the Kremlin, as reported by Russian media.
TASS, referencing law enforcement sources, referred to the incident as an “assassination attempt” and named the suspected target as Armen Sarkisyan, who is alleged by Ukraine to be assisting Russia’s military efforts in the Donetsk region of eastern Ukraine.
“The assassination attempt on Sarkisyan was meticulously planned and was commissioned. Investigators are currently working to identify those who orchestrated the crime,” a law enforcement official was quoted by TASS.
A Telegram channel named Baza, which has ties to Russian security services, released videos showing extensive damage to the lobby of the building and reported that Mr. Sarkisyan sustained serious injuries in the explosion.
In December, Ukraine’s SBU security service referred to Mr. Sarkisyan as a “crime boss” in the Donetsk region, which has been largely under Moscow’s control since 2014, and noted that he was officially suspected of being involved with “illegal armed groups.”
The report mentioned that he had established a pro-Russian military unit consisting of local convict fighters and had facilitated the procurement of supplies for frontline forces.
In December, Ukraine claimed responsibility for the death of Russian General Igor Kirillov in a bomb explosion outside a Moscow apartment building. There has been no immediate comment from Ukraine regarding today’s blast.
