Yanukovych-Linked Crime Boss Assassinated in Posh Moscow Apartment Complex

Armen Sarkisyan, a criminal figure from the era of fugitive President Viktor Yanukovych, was killed in Moscow, according to Russian state media.

Sarkisyan, also known as “Gorlovsky,” was reportedly blown up at in the Alye Parusa luxury residential complex in northwest Moscow in an explosion that reportedly occurred at 9:45 a.m. local time.

Russian media speculated that a grenade or improvised explosive device based on a grenade had been detonated. Emergency services and bomb-sniffing dogs were deployed to the scene.

The Moscow branch of Russia’s Investigative Committee released a picture from the blast site, showing shattered glass and a collapsed ceiling at the entrance of the building. Authorities have opened a criminal murder case and attempted murder of two or more people.

Olga Voronova, a resident of a neighboring building, told AFP that she struggled to understand how such an attack could have occurred, given the area’s strict security. She added that guards thoroughly inspected every car at checkpoints and required residents to request passes even for family members.

Initial reports indicated that a resident of the complex who had entered the building alongside security personnel was killed in the explosion, while five others were injured.

At first, it was unclear who had died in the attack. However, a building concierge claimed she had recognized the victim, stating she had “seen this person on TV before.”

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Speculation soon arose that the deceased could be Sarkisyan, a known organized crime boss from the Yanukovych era. Russian media outlets conflicted on the details – some reported that Sarkisyan had died in the explosion, while others claimed he was hospitalized in serious condition and that his bodyguard had been killed instead.

In the afternoon, Russian Telegram channels began circulating reports that Sarkisyan had died in intensive care without regaining consciousness. Then the TASS state news agency reported that Sarkisian died in hospital following an assassination.

The Kremlin stated that special services were working at the scene but declined to comment further, citing the need to “clarify information.” At the time publication, Ukrainian officials have not made any comment on the event.

Social media reports suggest that among the victims of the explosion was Oleg Kasperovich, the former deputy commander of a special forces unit under the Crimean Territorial Command of Ukraine’s Interior Ministry. Kasperovich defected to Russia in 2014 during the occupation of Crimea.

Among the injured, Russian media identified Sergei Shkryabatovsky and published his photographs, noting that in 2014, he was among the bodyguards of former President Viktor Yanukovych.

Sarkisyan’s criminal past and connection to Russia

Sarkisyan had been on the international wanted list since May 2014 for organizing murders in central Kyiv. He was accused of supplying “titushki” – paid provocateurs who violently attacked protesters – during the Revolution of Dignity.

Born in Armenia, Sarkisyan later moved to Horlivka, an industrial city in eastern Ukraine, now occupied by Russian forces. Known by the alias Armen Gorlovsky, he was a close associate of former regional leader Yuriy Ivanyushchenko and was considered his “right-hand man.” According to Ukraine’s Interior Ministry, Sarkisyan’s group was responsible for the murder of journalist Vyacheslav Veremiy during the 2013-14 Revolution of Dignity.

After Russia’s full-scale invasion, Sarkisyan began working closely with the Federal Security Service (FSB) and was tasked with forming a new armed unit to fight against Ukraine.

He led the “ArBAT” special forces battalion, composed mainly of convicted criminals – including murderers and robbers – who were recruited from prisons. The FSB appointed Sarkisyan as the “watcher” of prisons in Russian-occupied areas of Donetsk, allowing him to oversee recruitment efforts.

Initially, ArBAT operated in the Toretsk sector, but it was later deployed to the Kursk region to take part in assaults on Ukrainian positions. According to Kommersant Russian media outlet, the unit had around 500 members, the majority of whom were ethnic Armenians.

Beyond his military role, Sarkisyan used front companies to procure thermal imagers, fuel, and building materials for Russian forces. He also served as the vice-president of the boxing federation of the so-called “Donetsk People’s Republic” and controlled businesses in occupied Horlivka.

In December 2023, based on extensive evidence, Ukraine’s Security Service (SBU) formally charged Sarkisyan under multiple articles of the Ukrainian Criminal Code: for voluntary participation in illegal armed groups or providing them with assistance in hostilities against the Armed Forces of Ukraine, and for assisting an aggressor state, committed by an organized group in prior conspiracy.

According to Russian Telegram channels, Sarkisyan had been living permanently in Moscow in recent years.