Mon Feb 03 17:46:33 UTC 2025: ## Moscow Apartment Blast Kills Founder of Pro-Russian Battalion
**Moscow, February 3, 2025** – A powerful explosion ripped through a Moscow apartment building early Monday, killing at least two people and injuring three others. Russian authorities have launched a criminal investigation into the incident, with reports suggesting a bomb was responsible.
One of the victims has been identified as Armen Sarkisyan, founder of the “ArBAT” (Armenian Battalion), a pro-Russian volunteer battalion that fought against Ukrainian forces in eastern Ukraine. Sarkisyan, also head of a boxing federation in the Russian-controlled Donetsk region, reportedly died in hospital. His bodyguard also perished in the blast.
The Investigative Committee is investigating charges of murder, attempted murder, and arms trafficking. While Russian authorities have not explicitly linked the explosion to the ongoing conflict in Ukraine, Sarkisyan was previously charged in absentia by Ukraine’s Security Service (SBU) with participating in illegal armed formations and recruiting prisoners to fight against Ukrainian forces. The SBU also alleged Sarkisyan’s involvement in combat operations in the Toretsk and Kursk regions.
Initial reports stated one death and four injuries, but a later update confirmed a second fatality. Three individuals remain hospitalized. Neither Ukrainian nor Russian officials have yet released official statements connecting the bombing to the ongoing war. The investigation continues.
First Piper 