In Moscow, the organizer of the "titushki" and the "ArBAT" battalion, Sarkisyan, was bombed. Here are all the details.

In Moscow, a criminal authority from the Yanukovych era, organizer of the "Titushki" and founder of the "ArBAT" battalion, Armen Sarkisyan, also known as "Gorlovsky," was targeted in an explosion. This incident occurred in one of the elite residential complexes where he was present along with his security team.

RBK-Ukraine has gathered all available information regarding the incident at this time.

What is known about the explosion in Moscow's residential complex

The explosion at the "Scarlet Sails" residential complex, located in the northwest of Moscow, occurred at 09:45 local time (08:45 in Kyiv). Russian propaganda suggests that a grenade or a homemade explosive device based on a grenade detonated at the scene. Medical evacuation teams and canine units arrived promptly.

Reports indicate that a resident of the complex, who entered the building with security personnel, was killed in the explosion. Five other individuals sustained injuries. Initially, it was unclear who the victim of the blast was, but the concierge of the building claimed that she had "seen this person on television before."

Later, it became known that the deceased from the explosion might be Armen Sarkisyan, a criminal authority from the time of the fugitive president Viktor Yanukovych. Russian propaganda media provided conflicting information regarding Sarkisyan's fate. Some outlets reported that he died in the explosion, while others claimed he was hospitalized in critical condition, stating that his bodyguard was the one who perished.

However, after 12:20, reports began to emerge on Russian Telegram channels that Sarkisyan had died in the intensive care unit without regaining consciousness.

The Moscow branch of the Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation released footage from the explosion site. The images showed shattered windows and a collapsed ceiling in the entrance of the residential building. A criminal case has been initiated under the charges of "murder and attempted murder of two or more individuals."

Among the injured from the explosion is Oleg Kasperovich, a former deputy commander of a special forces unit of the Crimea Territorial Command of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ukraine. He betrayed Ukraine in 2014 and sided with Russia during the occupation of Crimea.

Who is Armen Sarkisyan

Armen Sarkisyan (known as Armen Gorlovsky), hailing from Gorlovka (a city in the Donetsk region currently under occupation), is part of the close circle surrounding the fugitive president Viktor Yanukovych and has been on international wanted lists since May 2014 for orchestrating murders in the center of Kyiv.

He is notorious for supplying "Titushki" to the Maidan in the capital during the Revolution of Dignity. The criminal was closely associated with former regionalist Yury Ivanyushchenko, serving as his "right-hand man." According to the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the murder of journalist Vyacheslav Veremiya was carried out by Sarkisyan's group.

Working closely with the FSB, Sarkisyan received a new assignment from the Russians after the full-scale invasion of Ukraine: to create a new armed formation for the war against Ukraine. He led a combat group called the "Separate Special Purpose Battalion 'ArBAT,'" composed mainly of recidivists convicted of murder, robbery, and other serious crimes.

To recruit prisoners, the Russian special services appointed Sarkisyan as the so-called "watcher" over prisons in the temporarily occupied part of the Donetsk region. Initially, "ArBAT" fought in the Toretsk direction, but later the group was redeployed to the Kursk region for an assault on Ukrainian positions.

Additionally, Sarkisyan utilizes affiliated companies to procure thermal imaging devices, fuel, and construction materials for the needs of the occupiers at the front. He also serves as the so-called vice president of the boxing federation of the "DPR" and acts as a shadow overseer of all businesses in occupied Gorlovka.

However, according to the Russian Telegram channel "We Can Explain," Sarkisyan has been residing in Moscow for the past few years.

In December of last year, based on collected evidence, investigators from the Security Service of Ukraine announced charges against Sarkisyan under several articles of the Criminal Code of Ukraine:

• Part 7 of Article 111-1 (voluntary participation in illegal armed or paramilitary formations or providing assistance to such formations in conducting combat operations against the Armed Forces of Ukraine);
• Part 3 of Article 28, Part 1 of Article 111-2 (aiding the aggressor state, committed by an organized group of individuals by prior conspiracy).

It is worth noting that collaborators and Russian officers frequently fall victim to explosions in Russia; the previous similar incident was the elimination of Lieutenant General Igor Kirillov in Moscow, who ordered the use of chemical weapons against the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

The explosion occurred at dawn on December 17, 2024, near the building where the Russian general lived. It was determined that the explosive device was concealed in a scooter parked next to the entrance.

Russian dictator Vladimir Putin commented on Kirillov's assassination, stating that it was a "terrorist act" and blamed the Ukrainian side for the incident. Officially, Ukraine has not claimed responsibility for the act. However, sources from RBK-Ukraine reported that the operation was orchestrated by the SBU.

In preparing this material, sources included: Russian "Interfax", "Kommersant", TASS, "Meduza", data from the SBU, as well as other information from open sources.