Paramilitary Arbat Leader Sarkisyan Dies After Moscow Explosion

Armen Sarkisyan has died in hospital without regaining consciousness, Orda reports, citing Novaya Gazeta.
TASS later confirmed his death, citing medical services.
SHOT reports that Sarkisyan, also known as the "Arbat" battalion commander, died from multiple wounds. At the same time, Mash specifies the cause as a penetrating shrapnel wound to the chest near the heart.
According to TASS law enforcement sources, the explosion was caused by an improvised explosive device (IED) rather than a grenade.
The IED was reportedly planted on February 3, and its components were recovered from the explosion site. Baza suggests the device may have been hidden in a sofa or armchair in the building's lobby.
It is unclear who is behind the attack, but TASS's source believes the assassination attempt on Armen Sarkisyan was a contract hit and carefully planned.
The source also said investigators are trying to identify who contracted the crime.
The Kyiv Independent reports that Sarkisyan was a Donetsk crime boss and had been internationally wanted since 2014 for organizing killings in Kyiv during the Euromaidan Revolution. He was purportedly a close associate of the former Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych.
His Arbat battalion, composed mainly of ethnic Armenians with criminal backgrounds, fought against Ukraine after the full-scale invasion.
Latest news
- Zhumangarin Comments on Tax Reform, Fuel Price Freeze, and Utility Tariffs
- U.S. Chamber of Commerce Calls for Full Repeal of Caesar Syria Act
- Kazakhstan: Bill Proposing Fines for Reposting Prohibited Content on Social Media Passes First Reading
- Majilis Approves Kazakhstan’s 2026–2028 Budget
- U.S. Seeks Partnership with Kazakhstan to Develop Tungsten Deposits
- YouTube Blocks Lukpan Akhmedyarov’s Channel for Second Time This Year
- Trump Says Decision on Meeting With Putin 'Still Undecided'
- Former Shymkent Maslikhat Deputy Placed on Wanted List Again in Shymkent
- Gas Deliveries from Karachaganak to Orenburg Plant Resume After Drone Attack
- Kazakhstan Raises $1.5 Billion Through Eurobond Issue Amid Rising National Debt Concerns
- National Bank Head Says Inflation Driven by Excess Money in Economy
- Schoolgirl Gives Birth: Prosecutors and MIA Launch Investigation, 71-year-old Man Main Suspect
- Resident of North Kazakhstan Village Finds Possible Mammoth Tooth
- Turkmenistan: Pregnant Woman Dies After Roads Closed for President’s Visit
- Kairat Earn Their First Champions League Point: How the Almaty Club Held Off Pafos
- Court Rejects Legal Media Center’s Lawsuit Against Astana Akimat Over Access to Information
- LGBT Activist Aziyat Agishev Released After Being Held in Enlistment Office
- White House: No Immediate Plans for Trump–Putin Meeting
- LGBT Activist Reportedly Forcibly Taken to Military Office in Almaty
- Nursultan Nazarbayev Makes Public Appearance at First President’s Museum