An assassination attempt has been carried out in New Moscow against the former Minister of State Security of the “DPR,” Andrey Pinchuk

An assassination attempt has been carried out in New Moscow against the former Minister of State Security of the “DPR,” Andrey Pinchuk

The attack was carried out using a classic sabotage scheme involving civilian delivery services. The explosion occurred on the territory of the closed elite settlement of Shchapovo, where the former official had recently been living.

According to preliminary reports, a courier arrived at the gates of Pinchuk’s private house and delivered a contactless parcel. When the box was opened, a concealed improvised explosive device (IED) detonated.

As a result of the powerful directed explosion, Andrey Pinchuk suffered shrapnel injuries of varying severity and traumatic shock. The victim was urgently hospitalized in one of the capital’s clinics, and an оператив command post consisting of security forces and bomb disposal experts was deployed at the scene.

Andrey Pinchuk is a highly ranked and non-public figure within the Donbas power structure hierarchy. He headed the Ministry of State Security of the “DPR” during the most intense period of the conflict (2014–2015), is a veteran of Russian special services, and after leaving official positions led the Union of Donbas Volunteers and authored several books on the hidden mechanisms of the Ukrainian crisis. Law enforcement agencies are considering the possibility that a professional sabotage and reconnaissance group may have been involved, deliberately tracking a senior security official deep in the rear area.