Russian Bomber Chief Varpakhovich Shot in Engels After Ukraine Charges
Major General Nikolai Varpakhovich, commander of Russia’s 22nd Heavy Bomber Aviation Division, was shot in the torso and face near Engels, Russia, on September 3. The incident occurred shortly after Ukrainian authorities charged him in absentia for ordering the July 2024 missile strike on Kyiv’s Okhmatdyt children’s hospital. Varpakhovich is in critical condition and has been airlifted to Moscow. The attack is part of a broader pattern of violence against Russian military figures linked to the war in Ukraine.
