A bomb detonated inside a secured barracks in Russia's Khabarovsk region, killing one soldier and injuring several others. Military bloggers suggested the intended target may have been Major General Azatbek Omurbekov, accused of leading the 64th Brigade during alleged atrocities in the Kyiv region. The brigade and Omurbekov have been sanctioned by the US, EU and other allies; a court has remanded three suspects in connection with the blast. Ukraine has not commented and investigations are ongoing.
Bomb That Killed Russian Soldier May Have Targeted ‘Butcher of Bucha,’ Media Say
Russian Major General Azatbek Omurbekov - Ministry of Defense of Ukraine
A bomb exploded inside a secured military barracks in Russia's far-eastern Khabarovsk region on Tuesday, killing one soldier and wounding several others, Russian authorities and local media reported. Initial accounts say the blast occurred within a closed military facility.
Local outlets and military bloggers identified the fatality as a soldier with the rank of lieutenant colonel. Prominent Russian military blogger VChK-OGPU claimed the real target may have been Major General Azatbek Omurbekov, a commander widely referred to in media reports as the ‘Butcher of Bucha.’
VChK-OGPU: The intended target was Major General Azatbek Omurbekov, according to the blogger’s report.
Background
Omurbekov commanded the 64th Separate Guards Motor Rifle Brigade, a unit that operated in the Kyiv region during the opening weeks of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. After Russian forces withdrew from parts of that region, Ukrainian officials reported the discovery of murdered civilians and mass graves and identified the brigade among those responsible.
Shortly after those allegations surfaced, President Vladimir Putin awarded the brigade an honorary title. Later, both the unit and Omurbekov were sanctioned by the United States, the European Union and roughly a dozen allied countries for what those governments described as "gross violations of human rights" in Ukraine.
Investigation And Wider Context
A court in Khabarovsk said on Thursday that three people suspected of involvement in the bombing and in what authorities described as "the destabilisation of government bodies" have been remanded, one of them in absentia. Russian officials are conducting an investigation; Kyiv has not commented on the incident.
If Omurbekov was indeed the intended target, the attack would follow several recent violent incidents involving senior Russian military and security figures. Earlier this year a Russian general serving as deputy head of military intelligence was shot and seriously wounded in Moscow in February. Two other senior officials were killed by car bombs in Moscow — one in December and one in April last year — incidents that Russian authorities attributed to Ukraine; Kyiv has not publicly confirmed involvement.
Reporting on the Khabarovsk blast relies primarily on Russian and Ukrainian media and military bloggers; independent verification of the intended target is still pending as investigations continue.
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