Armen Sarkisyan, the founder of a pro-Russian militia group operating in eastern Ukraine, has died following an explosion in central Moscow. Russian state media confirmed his passing, describing him as a key figure in the ongoing conflict.

Sarkisyan, also known by his pseudonym "Armen Gorlovsky," sustained severe injuries in the blast at a high-end residential complex in northwest Moscow. Despite medical efforts, he succumbed to his injuries in a hospital on Monday. The Russian Investigative Committee officially confirmed his death, stating, "Despite the assistance provided, one of the victims died in a medical facility."

Ukrainian authorities have long labeled Sarkisyan as a "criminal mastermind." He founded the Arbat Battalion, a separatist group active in eastern Ukraine, in 2022. According to Ukraine’s Defense Intelligence, the battalion was largely composed of former members of the Wagner Group, a Russian private military company. Sarkisyan was also accused of overseeing prisons in Russian-occupied Ukrainian territories.

The explosion occurred as Sarkisyan was leaving the Aliye Parusa residential complex. A local resident captured the aftermath in a video shared by independent Russian media outlet SOTA. When questioned about the incident, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said, "The special services are doing their job. It is difficult work. The information is being clarified, and work is ongoing."

Sarkisyan’s ties to former Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych, who fled to Russia after the 2014 protests, further cemented his controversial legacy. He was wanted in Ukraine for his alleged role in the violent crackdown on demonstrators during that time.

His death marks another dramatic turn in the complex power struggles within Russia’s paramilitary landscape.