Two Russian commanders of nuclear missiles were targeted on August 31 by Ukraine’s SBU. Today, according to Russian websites, an assassination attempt was carried out on one of them. Ukraine’s Security Service (SBU) “served a notice of suspicion in absentia to the ruscists [sic] who commanded missile strikes” on Ukraine. One “defendant” is Russian Major General Mykola Varpakhovych, commander of the 22nd Heavy Bomber Aviation Division of the Russian Armed Forces, and the “other one is Colonel Alexander Lutovinov, commander of the missile brigade of the 49th Combined Arms Army of the Southern Military District of the Russian Federation.”
Varpakhovych, the general in charge at the Engels airbase of the nuclear-capable Tu-95MS strategic bombers and their Kh-101 cruise missiles, was shot in the face and abdomen this morning by an unknown gunman riding a motorcycle. He is reported to be in “critical condition.” Lutovinov’s missile brigade is headquartered in Stavropol and is equipped with ballistic missile systems, specifically the Iskander-M system, which is capable of delivering precision strikes over long distances.
Russia’s Department of the Investigative Committee for the Saratov Region confirmed that an attempt was made on a military figure at Engels this morning, according to TASS, and they have gathered physical evidence, but they have not yet provided the name of the victim.
While Varpakhovych has been on the infamous Myrotvorets hit list for quite a while—and there, Myrotvorets brags about the death of the general’s son—it is an action, such as the SBU’s posting on August 31, that triggers a live operation. When the assassination attempt is made, there’s a pre-existing narrative for the media to run with. In this case, the SBU now accuses him of targeting the Okhmatdyt hospital in 2024. However, when the hospital was hit, Ukraine’s coverage reported a missile strike on Kiev’s Artem military plant—and that, during the strike, the hospital was damaged. Kiev made no effort then to provide any physical evidence of a Russian missile hitting the hospital. Kiev’s ‘modus operandi’ is to never admit the possibility that their own anti-aircraft efforts ever damage anything.
Sure enough, Western media ran with the pre-arranged narrative, while the only clear matter at this point is that, four days earlier, Ukraine’s Security Service targeted two Russian commanders over nuclear missiles. This evening, Ukraine’s acting president Zelensky took credit for the attempted assassination, stating: “There will also be asymmetric operations on our part… Wherever Russian criminals may hide, they will be found. And today there is yet another confirmation of this fact – confirmation in the Saratov region.”
