Russian authorities are investigating an apparent assassination attempt on a senior air force officer near the city of Engels, home to one of the country's key strategic bomber bases, as Ukraine continues to expand attacks deep inside Russian territory.
Russian media outlets Mash and Baza, which are considered close to the country's security services, reported Thursday that a gunman on a motorcycle arrived at a private home in the village of Probuzhdeniye, near Engels in the Saratov region, and opened fire before fleeing.
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Maj. Gen. Nikolai Varfakhovich, who unverified reports identified as the target of the assassination attempt. 'He was shot in the head and seriously wounded'
The officer was reportedly struck once in the upper body and once in the head and was hospitalized in critical condition. His driver was also wounded but managed to escape and summon an ambulance, according to reports.
Russian authorities said they had opened an investigation but did not confirm the details of the shooting or identify the victim.
Several unverified reports identified the wounded officer as Maj. Gen. Nikolai Varfakhovich, commander of Russia's 22nd Guards Heavy Bomber Aviation Division, which is based at Engels-2.
If confirmed, his identity could be significant. Ukrainian prosecutors said earlier this week that Varfakhovich had ordered a Russian missile strike in July 2024 on a children's hospital in Kyiv in which two people were killed.
Ukraine has been linked to a series of killings and attempted assassinations targeting Russian military officers and other figures associated with Moscow's war effort.
A Ukrainian unmanned vessel explodes during an attack on the port of Sochi
Last week, a senior Russian military officer was killed in a car bombing in St. Petersburg, while his wife was seriously wounded. Two weeks earlier, former Ukrainian submarine commander Robert Shagaev, who had defected to Russia, was killed in Crimea by an explosive device concealed in a trash can.
Other recent attacks have targeted Russian defense officials, arms-industry executives and military commanders.
Among the most prominent cases attributed or linked to Ukraine were the killing in June of Gen. Damir Davidov, head of the Russian Defense Ministry's missile and artillery department, in a car bombing, and the December assassination in central Moscow of Lt. Gen. Fanil Sarvarov, head of operational training at the Russian General Staff.
Earlier high-profile killings included Igor Kirillov, the commander of Russia's nuclear, biological and chemical protection forces, who was killed in December 2024 by a bomb hidden in an electric scooter; pro-Kremlin military blogger Vladlen Tatarsky, killed in a St. Petersburg café bombing in 2023; and Darya Dugina, who died in a 2022 car bombing believed to have targeted her father, nationalist ideologue Alexander Dugin.
Ukrainian sea drone explodes in Sochi
The apparent assassination attempt came as fighting between Russia and Ukraine continued on other fronts.
Video circulated Thursday from an attack on the Russian Black Sea port of Sochi appeared to show an unmanned surface vessel moving through the harbor before erupting in a massive fireball, apparently after being intercepted by Russian forces.
Ukraine's navy later confirmed that it had carried out an attack in Sochi and said it struck the Russian vessel Nefrit.
According to the Ukrainian navy, the ship was involved in oil and gas operations, cargo and personnel transport and underwater engineering work. It said those activities "directly supported the enemy's war economy" and made the vessel a legitimate military target.
Ukraine has sharply increased its drone attacks inside Russia in recent months as part of what Kyiv describes as an effort to bring the effects of the war home to the Russian population and increase pressure on the Kremlin.
The strikes have hit numerous oil facilities, fuel depots and warehouses, causing major economic losses and contributing to fuel shortages in parts of Russia. Moscow, meanwhile, continues its own large-scale aerial campaign against Ukrainian cities.
Putin says peace still possible
Despite the escalation, Russian President Vladimir Putin said Thursday that he still believed there was "a chance for peace."
Speaking at an economic forum in Vladivostok, Putin said countries including the United States and China were trying to help bring the war to an end.
"Ultimately, the problem must be resolved between the countries involved in the conflict, Russia and Ukraine," Putin said. "We are grateful to everyone who is trying to contribute to a settlement. Is there a chance? In my view, yes, there is a chance."
At the same time, he accused Ukraine of undermining prospects for negotiations through attacks that Moscow says have also targeted civilian commercial vessels.
Putin described Ukrainian actions as "acts of state terrorism" and said they were "complicating the prospects for bilateral talks."
He also said contacts were continuing between Russian and U.S. intelligence services, following the unusual visit last week by CIA Director John Ratcliffe to Moscow.
Russian President Vladimir Putin speaks at an economic forum in Vladivostok
(Photo: Vyacheslav Prokofyev/Pool/AFP)
"We support the full restoration of relations with the United States," Putin said. "However, this does not depend on us alone. It depends on the American side. But from what I understand, feel and observe, President Trump is committed to such positive and constructive engagement."
Norway seizes Russian vessel near Svalbard
Elsewhere, Norway said Thursday that authorities had seized the Russian vessel Professor Molchanov off the Svalbard archipelago in the Arctic under a court order.
The seizure is connected to a legal effort by Ukrainian energy company Naftogaz to enforce a $4.22 billion compensation award over assets confiscated following Russia's 2014 annexation of Crimea.
Russia condemned the seizure as "piracy," and its embassy in Norway said Moscow would appeal the Norwegian court ruling.
The location has added to the sensitivity surrounding the case.
Svalbard is a remote Arctic archipelago about 750 kilometers north of mainland Norway. Although it has fewer than 3,000 residents, it occupies a strategically important position between the North Atlantic and Arctic oceans and has long been considered a potential flashpoint between Russia and NATO.
Under the 1920 Svalbard Treaty, Norway has sovereignty over the islands but faces restrictions on military activity there. Citizens of signatory states are also granted equal rights to reside and conduct commercial activity under Norwegian civil law.
Russia has maintained a permanent civilian presence on the islands for decades, centered largely on the coal-mining settlement of Barentsburg.
Professor Molchanov had docked there on Tuesday before Norwegian authorities seized the vessel.