A Russian nuclear bomber commander accused of war crimes against Ukrainian civilians was shot in the head in a suspected drive-by assassination attempt outside his home.
Major General Nikolai Varpakhovich, 56, was struck by two bullets — one in the face and one in the torso — as he stood near his residence in Saratov, southwest Russia, on Thursday, reported Svoboda, the Russian-language service of Radio Free Europe. An unidentified gunman on a motorbike carried out the attack before fleeing the scene.
The commander’s driver, who was also wounded in the shooting, managed to call for an ambulance despite his injuries. Varpakhovich was left in critical condition and was subsequently flown to Moscow on a medical evacuation flight for emergency treatment.
Varpakhovich serves as commander of Russia’s 22nd Heavy Bomber Aviation Division and oversees Putin’s nuclear-capable strategic bombers at the nearby Engels airbase. He is described as a close ally of the Russian president.
Ukraine’s SBU security service officially named Varpakhovich as one of two Russian commanders accused of war crimes in late August, reported Kanal 24, a Ukrainian news outlet. The charges stem from multiple deadly attacks on civilian targets during the ongoing conflict.
The major general is suspected of involvement in an April 28 attack on Uman that killed 24 people. He is also accused of ordering an airstrike on a Kyiv children’s hospital on July 8, 2024, which killed two people and wounded dozens. Additionally, Varpakhovich is blamed for a strike on an apartment block in Odesa that killed eight people, including a three-month-old infant, a mother, and a grandmother.
Russian security services have not named a suspect in Thursday’s shooting, which marks the latest violent attack on one of the country’s military top brass. The method — a motorbike assassin striking near the victim’s home — follows a pattern of increasingly bold attacks deep inside Russian territory.
On Aug. 27, a car carrying a Russian Air Force lieutenant colonel exploded in St. Petersburg, killing the soldier instantly and seriously wounding his wife, who was riding in the passenger seat. That attack also targeted an aviation officer, suggesting a possible pattern in the selection of military figures being hit.
Ukraine did not claim responsibility for the assassination attempt on Varpakhovich. However, its security forces have demonstrated the capability to operate far beyond the front lines of the war and deep into Russian territory, said Petro Andryushchenko, director of the Center for the Study of Occupation, in a recent interview with Kanal 24.
The Engels airbase under Varpakhovich’s command has been repeatedly targeted by Ukrainian drones in recent months, though those strikes caused only limited damage to Russia’s long-range bomber fleet. The base serves as a critical launch point for cruise missile attacks against Ukrainian cities and infrastructure.
The July 8, 2024 airstrike on the Okhmatdyt children’s hospital in Kyiv drew international condemnation and prompted emergency repairs to the facility, Ukraine’s largest pediatric medical center. The attack occurred during a broader wave of Russian strikes that day that damaged multiple cities across the country.
Varpakhovich’s condition following the emergency transfer to Moscow remains unclear, and Russian officials have released no public statements on the assassination attempt.