A bomb that exploded in the lobby of a luxury residential complex in Moscow killed Armen Sarkisyan, a pro-Kremlin paramilitary leader in eastern Ukraine. Russian media reported that the bomb detonated early Monday just as Sarkisyan, along with his bodyguards, entered the lobby of the Scarlet Sails residential complex. 

According to reports, Sarkisyan, who was injured after the blast, was brought to a Moscow hospital but later succumbed to his injuries. His bodyguard was also killed in the attack, while three others were injured.

Video footage released by law enforcement officials showed extensive damage to the lobby, including shattered glass and a blown-out entrance door.

❗️Moscow Investigative Committee released a video from the explosion site of the #Alye_Parusa (Scarlet Sails) apartment complex in Moscow.#Moscow #Russia #Sputnik
📌Russian law enforcement agencies are investigating the explosion at the elite residential complex, Kremlin… pic.twitter.com/QoS5ONQlwh

— ⚡️🌎 World News 🌐⚡️ (@ferozwala) February 3, 2025

Also known by the nickname “Armen Gorlovsky,” Sarkisyan was the founder of the Arbat Battalion, an irregular pro-Russian militia group fighting against Ukraine. He also served as the head of the boxing federation in Russian-occupied Donetsk. 

Russian authorities described the incident as a targeted and “well-planned” assassination. Kommersant, a Russian business daily, reported that the bomb was likely planted in a couch at the entrance of the building and detonated remotely when Sarkisyan entered the lobby. 

No group has claimed responsibility for the attack, but suspicion has fallen on Ukrainian intelligence services, given Sarkisyan’s history of involvement in pro-Russian operations in eastern Ukraine. 

Ukraine’s Security Service (SBU) had previously charged Sarkisyan in absentia for participating in illegal armed formations and recruiting prisoners to fight against Ukrainian forces. The SBU described him as a “criminal mastermind” with ties to former Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych, who fled to Russia following the 2014 Maidan uprising.

The Arbat Battalion, which Sarkisyan founded in 2022, was composed largely of ethnic Armenians and former Wagner Group fighters, according to the Institute for the Study of War.

The battalion played a role in several key battles during Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine and was seen as an effort to counterbalance the influence of Wagner leader Yevgeny Prigozhin, who was killed in a plane crash in 2023 after an attempted mutiny against Russian leadership.

Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov stated that Russian special services were investigating the bombing but declined to provide further details. 

The attack on Sarkisyan follows a series of high-profile assassinations targeting Russian military officers and officials linked to the war in Ukraine. In December, Ukraine claimed responsibility for the killing of Lt. Gen. Igor Kirillov, head of Russia’s chemical, biological, and radiological weapons unit, who died in a bomb blast in Moscow.