The founder of a pro-Russian militia group in eastern Ukraine, described by authorities in Kyiv as a “criminal mastermind”, has died following a bombing in central Moscow, according to Russian state media.

Armen Sarkisyan, a pro-Russian collaborator from Donetsk Oblast wanted by Ukraine, died in the hospital after being injured in an explosion in an elite residential complex in Moscow on Feb. 3, the state news agency TASS reported,

Armen Sarkisyan, the founder of a separatist battalion fighting in eastern Ukraine, died after an explosion in an apartment complex, according to reports citing the Russian authorities.

Russian news agencies say a blast in an upscale residential block in Moscow has killed one person and wounded four others.

Citing sources, the pro-state outlet Kommersant identified the victim as Armen Sarkisyan, a pro-Russian collaborator from Donetsk Oblast wanted by Ukraine. The injured victims reportedly include Sarkisyan's security guards.

Russian authorities and news reports say an explosion in an upscale Moscow neighborhood killed two people, including the founder of a battalion that battled Kyiv's forces in eastern Ukraine.

Armen Sarkisyan, founder of a battalion fighting Ukrainian forces, was targeted in what is being described as an assassination.

Armen Sarkisian, a known mafia boss from east Ukraine, is the latest target in a string of explosions on Russian soil.

The Monday bomb explosion that killed an ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin may have been a suicide attack, according to Russian media reports on Tuesday that cited law enforcement sources. Armen Sarkisyan,