Explosion in luxury Moscow apartment complex: Arbat battalion founder among casualties

This was reported by Russian media and Telegram channels.

Reports of an explosion on the first floor of a residential complex in Moscow came in around 09:00 a.m. Several ambulance crews and firefighters are currently working at the scene. Eyewitnesses believe the explosion occurred in the elevator lobby of the high-rise tower.

As a result of the incident, one person was killed, and at least five others were injured.

According to a source from the Russian Telegram channel 112, the explosion likely happened when one of the residents entered the building with security guards. Preliminary reports suggest that this resident was the one who died. The deceased suffered severe facial injuries, and their identity has not yet been established.

Meanwhile, the Telegram channel VChK-OGPU reports that the victim of the explosion may have been Armen Sarkisyan, the former president of the Boxing Federation of the so-called Donetsk People’s Republic and the founder of the Armenian volunteer battalion Arbat, which fights as part of the Russian army in Ukraine.

According to the channel, the owners of one of the apartments in the residential complex claimed they had rented it to Sarkisyan. His body has not yet been identified.

At the same time, RIA Novosti, citing law enforcement sources, claims that Sarkisyan is alive but lost his left leg in the explosion. He is currently hospitalized in critical condition.

Sarkisyan was involved in training Russian troops in occupied Horlivka. He is reportedly wanted in Ukraine and previously held Ukrainian citizenship.

Additionally, according to Baza, one of the injured, 49-year-old Oleg K., was listed in the Myrotvorets database. According to VChK-OGPU, this refers to Oleg Kaspirovich, a former deputy commander of a special forces unit under the Crimean Territorial Command of the Russian Interior Ministry’s Internal Troops.

Telegram channels report that one possible version of the incident is an assassination attempt. Meanwhile, Russian emergency services stated that the explosion in the Alye Parusa residential complex was caused by an unidentified device. A criminal case has been opened regarding the incident.

A law enforcement source told RBC Russia that the primary theory suggests the killing was a contract assassination. Preliminary data indicates that a remotely controlled explosive device detonated in the building’s lobby.

"It is evident that the explosion was pre-planned; law enforcement agencies are currently reviewing surveillance footage," the source said.

• In November 2024, an explosion also occurred in a five-story building in Moscow, resulting in injuries. According to experts, the incident was not caused by a household gas explosion.