Zelensky suggests Ukrainian Security Service may be behind assassination of Armen Sarkisyan, founder of DPR’s ArBat battalion
In a recent development, Ukraine's Security Service successfully killed an individual who allegedly orchestrated groups of "titushky" (thugs) involved in the killing of Ukrainians during the Revolution of Dignity, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky disclosed in an interview with British journalist Piers Morgan.
When questioned about the potential involvement of Ukrainian special services in the death of Armen Sarkisyan in Moscow, Zelensky stated he did not have details about the identity of the person eliminated. "I cannot speak about any killings. I know the Security Service of Ukraine neutralized someone responsible for the killings in the East of our nation during the Revolution of Dignity. I don't know if it's the same person, I don't know the name, so it's difficult for me to say if this is the specific case," remarked the President.
Armen Sarkisyan, also known as Armen Gorlovsky, was in the inner circle of former Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych and officially served as an aide to Yuriy Ivaniushchenko, a member of parliament from the Party of Regions.
Sarkisyan was regarded as one of the key organizers of criminal "titushky" (thugs) groups that abducted and murdered participants of the 2014 Revolution of Dignity.
In December 2024, Ukraine’s Security Service accused Sarkisyan of forming illegal armed groups and aiding an aggressor state. According to their counterintelligence, the “ArBat” Battalion, established by the directive of Russia's FSB primarily comprising repeat offenders, fought against Ukraine in the Toretsk area and was later redeployed to the Kursk region.
On the morning of February 3, an explosion occurred in the “Scarlet Sails” residential complex where Armen Sarkisyan rented an apartment. At that moment, he was stepping out of the elevator with Sergey Shkryabatovsky, a former bodyguard of Yanukovych, and Oleg Kasperovych, a former officer of Crimea's special forces who defected to Russia in 2014 and worked as Sarkisyan’s bodyguard. Sarkisyan died in intensive care.
One investigative theory suggests the explosion in Moscow's "Scarlet Sails" complex was carried out by a "convicted Armenian citizen”.