VLADIMIR Putin’s “death squad” chief has been killed after a £2million luxe Moscow apartment was blown up by a huge “Ukrainian” bomb.
Armen Sarkisyan – the creator of the pro-Putin Arbat battalion – was killed in the deadly blast on Monday.
East2WestArbat stormtrooper battalion founder Armen Sarkisyan, 46, was killed[/caption]
East2WestA bomb was detonated outside the Scarlet Sails apartment complex[/caption]
East2WestApartments in this building are valued at around £2million[/caption]
East2WestThe bomb blew was strong enough to blow off the building’s front doors[/caption]
Sarkisyan, 46, was known for using his troops to fight in the battleground Donetsk region of Ukraine and Kursk region of Western Russia.
The “death squad” chief was in the Scarlet Sails apartment complex when the bomb was detonated – where a penthouse is valued at £2million.
He was rushed to hospital and reportedly died after falling into a coma, according to multiple Russian media outlets.
Sarkisyan had suffered severe head and chest wounds following the huge blast.
This Putin puppet paramilitary leader was believed to be the target of a Ukrainian led assassination.
One bodyguard was also killed in the blast and three others were injured, according to Reuters.
Others injured in the bomb were 44-year-old Daria Karseladze, 41-year-old Sergei Shkryabatovsky and 50-year-old Igor Antonenko, according to reports.
Terrifying images showed the damage caused to the apartment block’s lobby.
Glass was shattered and the ceilings had started to collapse.
Armenian-born Sarkisyan is considered by Kyiv to be one of the organisers of pro-Russian “titushki” gangs and “death squads” that hunted the participants of the Revolution of Dignity in Ukraine in 2014.
The paramilitary leader has also been described as an “associate” of the toppled pro-Putin former Ukrainian president Viktor Yanukovych, according to Ukraine’s SBU security service.
The SBU has previously revealed Sarkisyan had reportedly been appointed as “‘watcher’ of prisons in the occupied Donetsk region”.
It added: “He created the Arbat battalion from recruited convicts, who fought in the Torets direction, and later stormed the positions of the Ukrainian Armed Forces in the Kursk region.
“He is suspected of participating in illegal armed formations and aiding an aggressor state. The search and work to bring him to justice are ongoing.”
Sarkisyan had created a battalion of stormtroopers – including released prisoners – who fought for Putin against Ukraine.
His paramilitary group is also known to have close links to the pro-Putin Chechen security forces.
He has also reportedly been connected to an illegal attempt to seize power in Armenia.
A criminal probe into murder and attempted murder has been opened by the Russian Investigative Committee.
The group said: “CCTV cameras are being examined, witnesses are being questioned, and the necessary forensic examinations are being ordered.”
East2WestA bodyguard was also killed at Moscow’s luxury Alye Parusa – Scarlet Sails – complex[/caption]
East2WestEmergency crews arrived to the block on Monday[/caption]
East2WestThe paramilitary leader is believed to have been a Ukrainian target[/caption]
More to follow… For the latest news on this story keep checking back at The Sun Online
Thesun.co.uk is your go-to destination for the best celebrity news, real-life stories, jaw-dropping pictures and must-see video.
Like us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/thesun and follow us from our main Twitter account at @TheSun.
Published: [#item_custom_pubDate]
