Assassination attempt in Russia on general accused by SBU of strike on Okhmatdyt

An assassination attempt was made on a high-ranking officer of the Russian strategic aviation in the Saratov region of the Russian Federation on the morning of September 3. Russian media and Telegram channels close to law enforcement identify the wounded as Major General Nikolai Varpakhovich - commander of the 22nd Heavy Bomber Aviation Division of the Russian Aerospace Forces. Three days before the attack, the SBU notified him in absentia of suspicion over a missile strike on the children's hospital "Okhmatdyt" in Kyiv.

The attack occurred around 07:00 in the village of Probuzhdenie near Engels, where one of the key bases of Russian strategic aviation is located.

According to Russian sources, an unknown assailant wearing a helmet rode a motorcycle to the place where the officer was, and shot him twice with a pistol. One bullet hit the area of the head or face, another - the torso. After that, the attacker fled.

During the shooting, the military driver was also wounded. He managed to get out of the line of fire and hide, and after the attacker fled, he returned and called an ambulance.

The wounded officer was hospitalized in Saratov in serious condition. According to some reports, his condition is assessed as critical. Doctors removed the bullets and are preparing the military for transport by special flight to Moscow.

The Russian Investigative Committee officially confirmed the attack on a serviceman in Engels and opened a criminal case for attempted murder and illegal arms trafficking. At the same time, Russian state bodies at the time of publication did not officially name the victim.

Information that the wounded is Varpakhovich was first spread by Russian Telegram channels. The Insider notes that the data they named about the place of the attack coincide with information from Russian databases connected with the general.

Three days before the assassination attempt, Varpakhovich received suspicion from the SBU

On August 31, the Security Service of Ukraine and the Office of the Prosecutor General notified Mykola Varpakhovich in absentia of suspicion of a war crime that caused the death of people.

According to the materials of the Ukrainian investigation, it was Varpakhovich who on July 8, 2024 gave the combat order for a missile strike on the National Specialized Children's Hospital "Okhmatdyt" in Kyiv.

The SBU claims that units of long-range aviation subordinate to him carried out a targeted strike on the hospital with a Kh-101 cruise missile launched from the Russian strategic bomber-missile carrier Tu-95MS.

At the time of the attack, more than 600 patients were in "Okhmatdyt". Two people were killed, dozens were injured. The toxicology building was completely destroyed and four other buildings of the medical complex were damaged.

Varpakhovich has commanded the 22nd Heavy Bomber Aviation Division since November 2021. It includes units armed with strategic bombers Tu-95MS and Tu-160, as well as long-range Tu-22M3.

The Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine previously included Varpakhovich in the list of Russian military personnel involved in organizing missile strikes on Ukrainian cities and civilian infrastructure. According to intelligence, units subordinate to him used Kh-22, Kh-32, Kh-101/102 and Kh-555 cruise missiles against Ukraine.

The Ukrainian side did not report its involvement in the assassination attempt on Varpakhovich.

Based on materials: The Insider, Security Service of Ukraine, Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine