In Russia, an officer whom Telegram channels called a general was wounded in the Okhmatdyt case
In Russia’s Saratov Oblast, an aggressor state, an unidentified attacker fired twice at a high-ranking Russian Air Force official near a shop in the settlement of Probuzhdeniye in Engels District. According to Euronews, the attacker arrived on a motorcycle, opened fire at close range and fled. The wounded man was taken to hospital in serious condition and was then flown to Moscow.
The identity of the wounded man was not officially named
Russia’s authorities, of the aggressor state, did not officially disclose the victim’s name. However, military Telegram channels identified him as Major General Mykola Varpakhovych, commander of the 22nd Heavy Bomber Aviation Division of Russia’s long-range aviation. The Telegram channel ASTRA noted that the settlement of Probuzhdeniye is listed among Varpakhovych’s registered addresses.
According to Euronews, one bullet struck the wounded man in the face and another hit his torso. The city of Engels is located approximately 850 kilometres from Moscow; it is home to Engels-2 air base, one of the important facilities of Russia’s strategic aviation.
More current news is available on the UA.News Telegram channel Telegram.
In absentia charges in the Okhmatdyt case
Ukrainian authorities brought charges against Varpakhovych in absentia in connection with the missile strike on the Okhmatdyt children’s hospital in Kyiv on 8 July 2024. According to Ukrainian investigators, he gave the order for the attack, during which an Kh-101 cruise missile struck the hospital.
Two people were killed in the strike, while more than 30 others were injured, including nine children. The hospital building was partially destroyed. Ukraine’s Ministry of Health reported that 627 children were receiving treatment at Okhmatdyt at the time of the attack.
On 31 August, the Security Service of Ukraine said it had also gathered evidence against Colonel Oleksandr Lutovinov, commander of a missile brigade within Russia’s 49th Combined Arms Army. According to the investigation, he organised a missile strike on the Sapphire hotel complex in Kramatorsk on 24 August 2024. A security adviser for the Reuters agency was killed, while five other journalists were injured.
