A Russian commander who led troops during the Bucha massacre in 2022 was said to be the blast’s intended target
An explosion killed an army officer in a closed-off military town in Russia’s far east this week, in what appeared to be an attempt to target a more senior commander known as the “Butcher of Bucha”.
Three sources familiar with the incident said the bomb detonated at about 9am on Tuesday in a residential block in Knyaze-Volkonskoye-1, the home of Maj Gen Azatbek Omurbekov, who commanded Russian troops during the occupation of Bucha.
Two sources said the assailant had placed the bomb in a mailbox between the first and second floors and installed a camera. The attacker targeted the wrong entrance, however: a subordinate was killed in the blast, but Omurbekov was not injured, the sources said.
The EU has placed sanctions on Omurbekov over his role in the massacre of civilians in the Ukrainian town of Bucha, where Russian troops are accused of killing more than 400 civilians.
