Moldovan Citizen Detained for Attempted Assassination of Russian Military Official
2 sources · Latvia
Who reported this
- Meduza
- Novaya Gazeta Europe
What the colours mean
- Left
- Centre-left
- Centre
- Centre-right
- Right
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Russian security forces, including the FSB and the federal investigative authority, have detained 21 year old Moldovan citizen Nicolae Kochu in the Astrakhan region. Authorities accuse Kochu of attempting to murder a high ranking Russian serviceman in the Saratov region on September 3. According to official reports, the suspect fired six shots at the victim in the village of Probuzhdeniye, located in the Engels district. The victim survived the attack and was hospitalized.
While official sources did not name the target, unofficial reports identify him as Major General Nikolai Varpakhovich, commander of the 22nd Heavy Bomber Aviation Division. Ukraine considers Varpakhovich responsible for a July 2024 missile strike on the Okhmatdyt children's hospital in Kyiv, which resulted in two deaths.
The FSB claims that Ukrainian intelligence recruited Kochu through social media in 2025 and provided him with firearms and explosives training in Kyiv in 2026. Investigators state that Kochu traveled to Russia in June to carry out the killing for money. He was detained on September 8 while attempting to leave the country. Criminal cases have been opened against him for attempted murder and illegal arms trafficking.
One report notes that the FSB released a video of Kochu's questioning where he discusses seeing a job advertisement on Instagram. The report observes that it is unclear under what circumstances the footage was recorded and notes that the suspect sometimes struggled to speak.
How each side framed it
- Centre-left
- Both outlets presented the facts neutrally, focusing on the official Russian claims while providing the Ukrainian context regarding the target's alleged war crimes.
Sources
- Centre-left Meduza: FSB says it detained suspect in attempted murder of Russian general. Ukraine accuses the general of ordering the strike on Kyiv’s Okhmatdyt children’s hospital.
- Centre-left Novaya Gazeta Europe: Security forces reported the detention of a suspect in an attempted assassination of a Russian military member
90% of the statements in this article were traced back to the source articles listed above.