Russian General Accused of Masterminding
Goldlaner.com – A Russian general accused of masterminding one of the war’s most widely condemned strikes was struck by multiple bullets Thursday at Engels Air Base in Saratov region. The Russian Investigative Committee confirmed it opened a formal inquiry into the attempted murder of a serving officer who sustained several gunshot wounds. Telegram channels quickly identified the victim as Major General Nikolai Varpakhovich, commander of the 22nd Heavy Bomber Aviation Division within the Long-Range Aviation branch of the Russian Aerospace Forces.
Engels hosts the principal operating base for Moscow’s intercontinental bomber inventory, including Tu-95MS and Tu-160 aircraft from which long-range cruise missiles are routinely launched toward Ukrainian targets. A shooting incident at that doorstep underscores how exposed Russia’s deep-rear military infrastructure remains, even hundreds of kilometers from the front line.
Kyiv’s Response
President Volodymyr Zelensky addressed the incident in his evening video statement, framing it within a broader pattern of Ukrainian countermeasures against Russian commanders.
“We will also carry out our own asymmetric operations in response. The Russian criminals did not hide — they will be found. And today brings another confirmation of this fact, a confirmation in the Saratov region.”
Zelensky did not explicitly claim responsibility for the Engels shooting, but his wording placed the event squarely within the context of ongoing Ukrainian operations aimed at Russian military leadership. Kyiv has never formally acknowledged involvement in any of the high-profile killings of Russian officers that have accumulated over the past several years, even as Moscow consistently points its finger at Ukraine.
The Okhmatdyt Hospital Strike
Varpakhovich’s name has become closely associated in Ukrainian public discourse with one of the war’s most condemned attacks. In July 2024, a Kh-101 air-to-ground cruise missile struck the Okhmatdyt children’s hospital in Kyiv, killing three people — among them a young patient wounded in the blast who died days later — and wounding dozens more. Intensive care units, oncology and surgical wards, and the toxicology and trauma center were damaged or destroyed.
According to the hospital’s own account, hundreds of patients and staff were evacuated when the air-raid alarm sounded. Yet the missile arrived roughly an hour after the alarm, and three patients undergoing heart surgery were still in the operating theater when the impact occurred. Three days before the Engels shooting, Ukraine’s Security Service (SBU) and the country’s Prosecutor General formally charged the Russian general accused of masterminding the Okhmatdyt attack with war crimes, alleging he ordered the long-range aviation units under his command to fire the Kh-101 at the hospital. He has also been placed under sanctions by the European Union and several individual states in connection with his role in that 2024 strike.
Survival and a Wider Pattern
The Investigative Committee stated that the serviceman survived and was moved to a hospital. Local media reported he was airlifted to Moscow for further treatment after sustaining gunshot wounds to the face and torso.
Varpakhovich joins a growing list of senior Russian military figures killed or wounded in apparent assassination operations on Russian soil over the past few years. In December 2024, General Igor Kirillov, who oversaw nuclear and chemical weapons protection forces, was killed when an explosive device concealed on a scooter was detonated near him. Two more senior officers died in separate car explosions in Moscow: Lieutenant General Yaroslav Moskalik, deputy head of the General Staff’s main operational department, and Lieutenant General Fanil Sarvarov, who had led the armed forces’ operational training department. In February 2025, Armen Sarkisyan, founder of a pro-Russian militia group whom Ukraine described as a “criminal mastermind,” died following a bombing in central Moscow. Each incident has prompted Moscow to accuse Kyiv of orchestration, raising questions about the reach of Ukrainian intelligence and special-operations capabilities deep inside Russian territory.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where was the shooting incident? The attack took place at Engels Air Base in the city of Engels, Saratov region, roughly 800 kilometers southeast of Moscow. The base is the primary operating site for Russia’s Tu-95MS and Tu-160 strategic bombers.
Is the general expected to recover? The Investigative Committee confirmed he survived and was airlifted to Moscow for treatment. Local reports indicated gunshot wounds to the face and torso, but no official prognosis has been released as of this writing.
Has Ukraine officially claimed responsibility? No. President Zelensky referenced the event in the context of Ukrainian asymmetric operations but did not formally attribute the shooting to Kyiv. Ukraine has not publicly acknowledged any of the prior high-profile killings of Russian officers.