Armen Sarkisyan, the founder of the Arbat Battalion of the “Donetsk People’s Republic”, explodes in Moscow.

The Russian news outlet Baza reported on this.

The explosion took place in the Alye Parusa residential complex as a result of the detonation of an improvised explosive device, which, according to preliminary information, was installed in the elevator shaft.

According to the Russian media, the target of the assassination attempt was probably Armen Sarkisyan, the former president of the Boxing Federation of the “DPR” and founder of the Arbat Special Forces Battalion.

So far, there have been reports of injured and dead people, including Sarkisyan himself. Kommersant notes that it was not Armen Sarkisyan who died, but his bodyguard, who was with him at the time of the explosion.

At the same time, the publication SHOT reported that Armen Sarkisyan’s leg was blown off and he is currently in a coma.

Also, according to media outlet Mediazona, the explosion was caused by a grenade-like object, probably due to careless handling.

As news outlet Mash later reported, Armen Sarkisyan died in intensive care without regaining consciousness. During the explosion, he received a shrapnel wound in the heart area.

Armen Sarkisyan, a native of Yerevan, became known as the organizer of the so-called “titushky” (mercenary agents -Ed.) during the national-patriotic protests in Kyiv from November to February 2013-2014. Until 2014, he was known as the “Horlivka” criminal mastermind.

In 2014, he was put on the Interpol wanted list.

Later, he became the founder of a militant group known as the “Arbat” Separate Guards Special Purpose Battalion, which was recruited from repeat offenders convicted of murder, robbery and other serious crimes.

After Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, Armen actively cooperated with the Federal Security Service of the Russian Federation in undermining Ukraine’s defense capabilities. In December 2024, Sarkisyan was suspected of recruiting prisoners for the war against Ukraine.

Militarnyi previously reported that the Defence Intelligence of Ukraine had neutralized the Chief of Staff of the Storm Ossetia Battalion.