A senior Russian Aerospace Forces officer was wounded in a shooting in Engels, Saratov region. The injured officer was flown to a military hospital in Moscow after the incident.
The Investigative Committee announced that a criminal investigation had been opened into the incident on charges of attempted murder and arms trafficking. Bullet casings and ammunition were found at the scene.
Identity of wounded officer remains unclear
Authorities have not identified the officer wounded in the attack. Unverified allegations identified him as Major General Nikolai Varpakhovich, who was alleged to command the strategic bomber division at Engels-2 air base.
The same allegations described the attacker as a helmeted person riding a motorcycle. They also alleged that the attack took place outside a summer house and that the officer was shot twice in the torso and once in the face. These details have not been independently verified.
Possible link to charges in Ukraine
Ukrainian law enforcement authorities formally charged Varpakhovich in absentia on Monday. Kyiv accuses Varpakhovich of ordering the missile strike on Kyiv's Okhmatdyt Children's Hospital in July 2024, which resulted in deaths.
The Russian Defense Ministry has not commented on the incident. Ukrainian authorities have also not issued an assessment of the attack in Engels.
An analysis suggested that, if the incident is confirmed, Varpakhovich would become the seventh Russian general to have been targeted in alleged assassination attempts over roughly two years.