Photo: Russian Ministry of Defense
A senior Russian military officer, Major General Nikolai Varpakhovich, commander of the 22nd Heavy Bomber Aviation Division, was shot in Saratov region on the morning of September 3, according to Russian and Ukrainian monitoring sources.
Varpakhovich is reportedly in critical condition and was transported by a special aircraft to a hospital in Moscow.
According to Mash, a gunman arrived at a private house on a motorcycle wearing a helmet and fired two shots. One bullet struck the officer’s torso and another his face. The bullets were later removed.
The officer’s driver was also wounded but managed to escape and hide before returning to the scene and calling an ambulance.
The shooter remains at large. The attack reportedly took place near Varpakhovich’s home in the village of Probudzhennia in Engels district, Saratov region.
Suspected involvement in Okhmatdyt strike
On August 31, Ukraine’s Security Service (SBU) announced an in-absentia suspicion against Varpakhovich over the July 8, 2024 missile strike on Kyiv’s Okhmatdyt Children’s Hospital.
According to investigators, Varpakhovich allegedly ordered the launch of a Kh-101 cruise missile against the hospital. The missile was reportedly launched from a Tu-95 strategic bomber.
Two people, including a doctor, were killed in the attack.
