Russian General Shot Near Engels Airbase After Ukraine Charges Him Over Hospital Strike

Major General Nikolai Varpakhovich, the commander of a Russian heavy bomber division, was shot twice on Saturday by a gunman on a motorbike near Engels airbase in the Saratov region. The attack occurred as the general was traveling on a military road, and he was subsequently airlifted to a Moscow hospital where he remains in serious condition, according to Russian officials. Ukrainian authorities have previously charged Varpakhovich in absentia for his alleged role in the March 2024 strike on the Okhmatdyt children’s hospital in Kyiv, a claim that Moscow has denied.

The incident adds to a series of targeted attacks on senior Russian military figures amid the ongoing conflict in Ukraine. Russian security services have launched an investigation into the shooting, while Ukrainian officials have not commented on any direct involvement. The health status of Varpakhovich and the outcome of the investigation are expected to influence diplomatic and military calculations in the region.