The building where Azatbek Omurbekov lives, usually occupied by senior military personnel, was immediately isolated after the explosion
An explosion that occurred this week in a closed military town in the far east of Russia caused the death of an army officer and, it seems, targeted the senior commander known as the “Butcher of Bucha”.
According to three sources familiar with the case, the bomb detonated at 09:00 local time on Tuesday in a residential block in Knyaze-Volkonskoye-1, where Major General Azatbek Omurbekov lives, appointed as responsible for commanding Russian troops during the occupation of Bucha, in Ukraine.
According to two of the sources, the explosive device was placed in a mailbox between the first and second floors of the building, along with a surveillance camera. However, the attacker allegedly identified the wrong entrance to the building and the explosion killed one of Omurbekov’s subordinates, while the major general was unharmed.
The name of the fatal victim was revealed, however, only by his nickname, Kuzmenko, by the anonymous Telegram channel VChK-OGPU, allegedly linked to the Russian security services.
The attack comes after the European Union in the past imposed sanctions on Omurbekov due to his alleged role in the massacre of civilians in Bucha, where Russian troops are accused of having murdered more than 400 civilians during their occupation of the city.
Omurbekov lived in a restricted access zone
The building where Azatbek Omurbekov lives, usually occupied by senior military personnel, was immediately isolated after the explosion, while the entire area was guarded by troops from the local garrison.
Knyaze-Volkonskoye-1 is a small military location located on the outskirts of Khabarovsk, in the Russian Far East, close to the border with China. It is a restricted access area, organized around an army base, with entrances controlled by checkpoints and where entry by non-residents depends on prior authorization.
Omurbekov’s profile makes him a major target for Ukrainian intelligence. The major general commanded the 64th Guards Motorized Brigade during the occupation of Bucha, in 2022, being identified as one of the most brutal people responsible for the operation. The sanctions imposed by the United Kingdom accuse him of being in “direct command” of troops involved in the murder of civilians in that Ukrainian city.
So far, neither Moscow nor Kiev have officially commented on the incident.
