A VKS officer was shot dead in Russia: he may have been involved in the attack on Okhmatdyt

In Engels, Saratov Region, Russia, an unknown assailant opened fire on an officer of the Russian Aerospace Forces this morning. The serviceman received two bullet wounds and is in serious, and according to some reports, critical, condition. The attacker fled after the shooting.

This was reported by the Russian Telegram channels Mash and Baza, which are associated with Russian security forces.

The attack took place in the village of Probudzhenia near Engels. According to preliminary information, the attacker drove up to a private house on a motorcycle. The man was wearing a helmet and fired at least two shots.

One bullet hit the soldier in the torso, the second in the face. His driver was also wounded. He was able to flee the scene, hide, and later returned and called for paramedics.

The officer was hospitalized. Russian media outlets report that doctors have already removed the bullets, and the soldier himself is being prepared for transportation by special plane to Moscow. There is currently no official confirmation of these details.

According to the Telegram channel “Spy’s Dossier”, the victim of the attack could have been Major General Nikolai Varpakhovich, commander of the 22nd Heavy Bomber Aviation Division of the Russian Aerospace Forces. However, this information has not yet been confirmed by Russian official agencies.

Varpakhovych is being investigated by Ukrainian law enforcement agencies. On August 31, the SBU reported him to the authorities in absentia on suspicion. According to the investigation, he commanded the Russian Federation’s long-range aviation units and ordered a missile strike on the Okhmatdyt children’s hospital in Kyiv on July 8, 2024. At that time, the hospital had more than 600 patients, two people died, and dozens more were injured.

According to the SBU, units subordinate to Varpakhovych launched a Kh-101 missile from a Tu-95MS bomber at Kyiv. Ukrainian investigators have classified his actions as a war crime that caused the death of people.

As a reminder, a car carrying a Russian serviceman with the rank of lieutenant colonel and his wife exploded in St. Petersburg on the morning of August 27. The man died on the spot, and the woman was hospitalized in serious condition.

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