Russian General Tied to Okhmatdyt Attack Reportedly Shot

A Russian general accused by Ukraine of ordering the 2024 missile strike on Kyiv’s Okhmatdyt children’s hospital was critically wounded in a shooting in Russia’s Saratov Oblast on Thursday, Sept. 3, according to an unverified report. The Russian Telegram channel Dosye Shpiona claimed that Maj. Gen. Nikolai Varpakhovich was attacked at around 7 a.m. outside a private home in the settlement of Probuzhdenie.JOIN US ON TELEGRAMFollow our coverage of the war on the @Kyivpost_official. “Two shots were fired from a pistol, targeting the head and abdomen,” the channel said. Varpakhovich was reportedly hospitalized in critical condition. The attacker had not been detained at the time of the channel’s report. Kyiv Post could not independently verify the claim. Russian law enforcement authorities and major state media had not publicly confirmed the reported shooting at the time of publication. Who is Nikolai Varpakhovich? Varpakhovich commands the 22nd Heavy Bomber Aviation Division of the Russian Aerospace Forces’ Long-Range Aviation branch, whose aircraft have conducted missile attacks against Ukraine. The division operates Tu-95MS (NATO: “Bear”) and Tu-160 (NATO: “Blackjack”) strategic bombers capable of launching Kh-101 air-launched cruise missiles (ALCMs), as well as nuclear and other heavy conventional weapons. Ukraine’s Security Service (SBU) announced on Monday that it had notified Varpakhovich in absentia of suspicion of war crimes resulting in deaths. Other Topics of Interest ‘Enemy Did Not Take a Vacation’: Russia Escalates Attacks Across Ukraine, Zelensky Says At least 17 people, including three children, were wounded when a Russian drone targeted an apartment building in Odesa. According to the SBU investigation, Varpakhovich issued a combat order and coordinated the July 8, 2024, missile strike on the National Specialized Children’s Hospital Okhmatdyt in Kyiv. Units under his command allegedly launched a Kh-101 cruise missile from a Tu-95MS bomber, directly striking the hospital. The attack killed two people, including a doctor, and injured dozens. More than 600 patients were inside the hospital at the time. The missile destroyed the toxicology building and damaged four other buildings where children underwent surgery and received cancer treatment. Previously, Ukrainian investigators had also identified Maj. Gen. Sergei Kuvaldin, then first deputy commander and chief of staff of Russia’s long-range aviation, as another officer suspected of organizing the attack. Attacks linked to Varpakhovich The SBU has accused Varpakhovich and other Russian commanders of organizing several deadly missile attacks on Ukrainian cities. Investigators allege that he helped prepare the June 13, 2023, Kh-101 missile strike on Kryvyi Rih, which killed 13 civilians and injured more than 30. Apartment buildings, schools, a food warehouse and private businesses were damaged. Varpakhovich was also charged in absentia over the April 23, 2022, strike on a 16-story apartment building in Odesa. Eight civilians were killed in that attack, including a three-month-old girl, while another 18 people were wounded, according to Ukrainian investigators. Kyiv Post is Ukraine’s first and oldest English news organization, reporting since 1995. Its international reach – 97% of readers are outside of Ukraine – make it truly Ukraine’s global voice.