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‘The Butcher of Bucha’, who was the target of a planned assassination attempt in a closed military town, was unharmed — media reports

‘The Butcher of Bucha’, who was the target of a planned assassination attempt in a closed military town, was unharmed — media reports

01 May 2026, 17:20

‘The Butcher of Bucha’, who was the target of a planned assassination attempt in a closed military town, was unharmed — media reports — Major General Azatbek Omurbekov of the Russian Armed Forces

Major General Azatbek Omurbekov of the Russian Armed Forces, who has been dubbed the ‘Butcher of Bucha’ due to suspicions of his involvement in the killings of civilians during the occupation of the town, was unharmed in an assassination attempt that took place in a military town in the Russian Far East.

The Guardian reports this, citing sources.

According to three of the publication’s sources, the bomb, which was apparently intended for Omurbekov, exploded at around 9 am on 28 April in a residential building in the town of Knyaz-Volkonskoye-1.

Two sources say that the attacker placed the bomb in a postbox between the first and second floors and set up a camera. However, he chose the wrong entrance, so Omurbekov’s subordinate was killed in the explosion, whilst the major-general himself was unharmed.

The Guardian also quotes Andrei Soldatov, an expert on Russian intelligence services, who believes that although the assassination attempt was likely unsuccessful, the very fact that it took place in a remote military town indicates yet another failure by the Russian FSB.

Earlier, a number of Ukrainian and Russian outlets reported on the assassination attempt on Omurbekov. The general’s condition was unknown at the time, but it was reported that his subordinate — the commander of the training communications battalion, Lieutenant Colonel Kuzmenko — had been killed.

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