Russia reported the detention of the man who shot Major General Varpakhovich. He is responsible for the attack on “Okhmatdyt”

FSB and the Investigative Committee detained 21-year-old Moldovan citizen Nicolae Cocha in the Astrakhan region — the Russians say he was allegedly preparing an assassination attempt on a Russian serviceman in the Saratov region.

This was reported by the press services of the departments.

Russian security forces claim that a man shot a soldier six times. He was wounded but survived. The victimʼs name has not been released, the FSB only specifies that it is a high-ranking soldier.

Rosmedia writes that during the attack, Major General Nikolai Varpakhovich, commander of the 22nd Heavy Bomber Aviation Division of the Russian Aerospace Forces, was wounded.

In Ukraine, he is accused of a missile strike on the “Okhmatdyt” Childrenʼs Hospital in Kyiv on July 8, 2024. At the time of the attack, more than 600 patients and about the same number of employees were in the hospital. Two people died then.

According to the FSB, in 2025, a Ukrainian intelligence officer recruited Kocha via social media while he was looking for work in Moldova. In 2026, he underwent “mine and explosives and shooting training in Kyiv”, and in June, he arrived in Russia to kill a serviceman.

The Russians believe that after the assassination attempt, Kochu was supposed to return to Moldova, but he was detained while trying to leave Russia.

• The assassination attempt on Varpakhovich became known on September 3. At that time, it was reported that he was in critical condition: one bullet allegedly hit his torso, the second hit his face.

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