Russian general accused of masterminding the attack against Kyiv’s children’s hospital injured in assassination attempt

A Russian general who has been accused by Ukraine of ordering a missile strike against a children’s hospital in Kyiv has reportedly been shot in northwestern Russia on Thursday.

The Russian Investigative Committee said it opened an investigation into the attempted murder of a military service member who was shot several times in the city of Engels in the Saratov region on Thursday.

While the committee did not name the man, Russian telegram channels widely reported it was Major General Nikolai Varpakhovich, the commander of the 22nd Heavy Bomber Aviation Division of the Russian Aerospace Forces’ Long-Range Aviation.

Varpakhovich has been accused by Ukraine of ordering a missile strike against Kyiv’s Okhmatdyt hospital in July 2024.

The attack killed three people, injured dozens others, and damaged or destroyed several departments, including the intensive care units, the oncology and surgical wings, the toxicology and trauma center.

The hospital said afterwards that hundreds of patients and staff were evacuated when the air raid alarm was raised indicating an incoming an strike. But some, including three patients undergoing a heart surgery, were still there when the missile hit about an hour later.

Varpakhovich has also been sanctioned by multiple countries and the European Union over his role in the 2024

While Ukraine has not commented on the incident, Varpakhovych has recently been on Kyiv’s radar.

The Security Service of Ukraine and the country’s Prosecutor General formally charged him with war crimes three days ago, saying he ordered the long-range aviation units under his command to launch a Kh-101 air-to-ground cruise missile against the hospital.

The Russian investigative committee said the serviceman survived the attack and was transported to a hospital. Local media reported that he was flown to Moscow for treatment after being shot in the face and the torso.

Varpakhovich is the latest of high-profile military officials targeted in apparent assassinations in Russia over the past few years. Moscow has pointed finger at Ukraine over these killings, but Kyiv has never acknowledged playing a role in any of them.

据报道，一名被乌克兰指控下令向基辅一家儿童医院发射导弹的俄罗斯将军于周四在俄罗斯西北部遭到枪击。

俄罗斯调查委员会表示，已对周四在萨拉托夫州恩格斯市发生的军人遭枪击未遂事件展开调查。该军人身中数枪。

虽然委员会没有透露此人的姓名，但俄罗斯电报频道广泛报道称，此人是俄罗斯空天军远程航空兵第22重型轰炸航空师师长尼古拉·瓦尔帕霍维奇少将。

乌克兰指控瓦尔帕霍维奇下令于 2024 年 7 月对基辅的奥赫马特迪特医院发动导弹袭击。

袭击造成三人死亡，数十人受伤，并损坏或摧毁了多个部门，包括重症监护室、肿瘤科和外科、毒理学和创伤中心。

医院事后表示，空袭警报响起时，数百名病人和工作人员被疏散。但大约一小时后，导弹击中医院时，包括三名正在接受心脏手术的病人在内的一些人仍然留在医院。

瓦尔帕霍维奇还因其在2024年世界杯中的角色而受到多个国家和欧盟的制裁。

虽然乌克兰方面尚未对此事件发表评论，但瓦尔帕霍维奇最近一直受到基辅的关注。

三天前，乌克兰安全局和该国总检察长正式指控他犯有战争罪，称他命令其指挥下的远程航空部队向医院发射 Kh-101 空对地巡航导弹。

俄罗斯调查委员会称，这名军人在袭击中幸存，已被送往医院。当地媒体报道称，他面部和躯干中弹后，被空运至莫斯科接受治疗。

瓦尔帕霍维奇是过去几年俄罗斯一系列疑似暗杀事件中遇害的高级军官之一。莫斯科指责乌克兰应对这些暗杀事件负责，但基辅从未承认参与其中。