Russia's Federal Security Service (FSB) has detained 21-year-old Moldovan citizen Nicolae Cociu for the attempted assassination of Major General Nikolai Varpakhovich, who was shot six times on September 3, 2026, in the Saratov region. The FSB alleges Cociu was recruited by Ukrainian intelligence via Instagram and offered $70,000. Varpakhovich was recently charged by Ukraine for ordering a deadly July 2024 strike on a Kyiv children's hospital. The incident is part of a rising wave of attacks on Russian military figures.
Moldovan suspect detention
- ▪Russian authorities detained Nicolae Cociu in the Astrakhan region as he was attempting to leave Russia and return to Moldova after the September 3, 2026 shooting.
- ▪Russia's Federal Security Service (FSB) detained 21-year-old Moldovan citizen Nicolae Cociu in the southern Astrakhan region on suspicion of attempting to murder a Russian military officer.
- ▪Russian authorities charged Nicolae Cociu with attempted murder and illegal arms trafficking, which carry a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison.
Ukrainian intelligence recruitment allegations
- ▪Russian investigators alleged that Nicolae Cociu was offered a payment of $70,000 to carry out the contract killing of the Russian officer.
- ▪The FSB alleged that Ukrainian intelligence services recruited Nicolae Cociu in 2025 through a job advertisement on Instagram.
- ▪The FSB claimed that Nicolae Cociu underwent weapons and explosives training in Kyiv before entering Russia through Estonia in June 2026.
Varpakhovich shooting incident
- ▪A senior Russian military officer, unofficially identified as Major General Nikolai Varpakhovich, was shot six times on September 3, 2026, in the Probuzhdeniye settlement near Engels in the Saratov region.
- ▪According to Russian independent media outlet Astra, a motorcyclist opened fire on Major General Nikolai Varpakhovich as he left a store, striking him in the face and body.
- ▪Major General Nikolai Varpakhovich, commander of Russia's 22nd Heavy Bomber Aviation Division, survived the September 3, 2026 shooting and was hospitalized.
Okhmatdyt hospital strike connection
- ▪Ukraine's Security Service (SBU) and Prosecutor General's Office formally charged Major General Nikolai Varpakhovich in absentia on August 31, 2026, for ordering a missile strike on Kyiv's Okhmatdyt children's hospital.
- ▪Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy alluded to the shooting on September 3, 2026, stating that Russian criminals will be found, with 'further confirmation of this fact' in the Saratov region.
- ▪The July 8, 2024 Russian missile strike on the Okhmatdyt children's hospital in Kyiv killed two people, injured over 50, and occurred while more than 600 patients were inside.
Russian military figure attacks
- ▪In August 2026, a car bomb on the outskirts of St. Petersburg killed a Russian serviceman and injured his wife.
- ▪In August 2026, the director of a factory supplying drones to the Russian military was badly injured and his driver was killed in a car explosion near Yekaterinburg.
- ▪In August 2026, Russian Aerospace Forces commander Alexander Chayko was reportedly targeted in a bombing at a Moscow restaurant.
FSB investigation procedures
- ▪The FSB released an interrogation video showing Nicolae Cociu confessing that he was sent to Russia to kill a Russian general.
- ▪A second video released by Russian authorities showed Nicolae Cociu demonstrating to investigators how he discarded evidence and fled the crime scene.
- ▪Russia's Investigative Committee announced plans to petition a judge to place Nicolae Cociu in pre-trial detention.
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