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.