Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB) announced that 21-year-old Moldovan national Nicolae Cociu had been arrested in the Astrakhan region. Cociu was alleged to have shot a general of Russia’s Aerospace Forces on behalf of Ukraine.
Investigators alleged that Cociu shot a Russian serviceman near the city of Engels in the Saratov region last Thursday. Russian authorities did not disclose the name of the serviceman targeted in the attack.
The target was reported to be a general
Kremlin-aligned media reported that the victim was Major General Nikolai Varpakhovich, who commands the strategic bomber division at Engels-2 air base. Russia’s Investigative Committee confirmed the armed attack on the officer and announced that the serviceman, who had suffered six gunshot wounds, had been hospitalized.
The incident occurred several days after Ukraine filed a criminal complaint in absentia against Varpakhovich, alleging that he had ordered the missile strike on Kyiv’s Okhmatdyt Children’s Hospital in July 2024, which resulted in deaths.
The FSB’s account of the investigation
The FSB alleged that Ukrainian security services recruited Cociu while he was living in Moldova in 2025. According to investigators, Cociu traveled to Kyiv in spring 2026 and agreed to carry out the assassination in exchange for $70,000. He was also alleged to have received weapons and explosives training before entering Russia.
The Russian security service also alleged that Cociu entered Russia through the Estonian border. In an interrogation video released by state-backed news agencies, Cociu, whose face was blurred, said he had been recruited through a job advertisement on Instagram and sent to Russia with a mission to kill a Russian general.
In a second video, Cociu was shown explaining to investigators how he disposed of the evidence and fled the scene.
Up to 20 years in prison
Cociu was charged with attempted murder and illegal arms trafficking. These charges carry a possible prison sentence of up to 20 years. The Investigative Committee said it would ask a court to keep Cociu in pretrial detention.
