Attack on Russian GRU major: Explosive violence in Moscow
The attack on Russian officer Andrei Torgashov occurred in Moscow, in a parking lot on Sinyavinskaya Street. His wife was with him in the car. Both were taken to the hospital with serious injuries.
24 July 2024 08:42
City cameras recorded the moment of the explosion. The footage is being shared by internet users, with many commenting on the moment of the Toyota Land Cruiser explosion. The car exploded just after the driver loaded his luggage onto the back seat and got in.
The car belonged to Major Andrei Torgashov, Deputy Head of the 89th Military Satellite Communications Centre. According to online sources, a homemade bomb was planted in the car.
Car explosion in Moscow. GRU major injured
The explosion occurred in the parking lot of the couple's residence. The recording also captured the moment when the victim was given first aid before being taken to the hospital.
Irina Volk, spokesperson for the Russian Ministry of Internal Affairs, reported the incident. The official confirmed that the victim of the explosion is the Deputy Head of the Satellite Communications Centre of Military Unit 33790, stationed in the Moscow region.
According to the RIA Novosti agency, the explosive device was equivalent to about one pound of TNT. Major Torgashov lost both feet, and his wife suffered lacerations to her face. The injured were taken to Botkin Hospital in Moscow.
The police are conducting investigative and operational activities to determine the incident's circumstances. Investigators are considering various possibilities, including the chance that the explosion was an assassination attempt related to Torgashov's professional activities.
A terrorist attack has not been ruled out. According to the Russian service, Alexander Bastrykin, the Chairman of the Investigative Committee of Russia, ordered the case to be under top-level oversight.
Moscow's investigators and forensic experts, in cooperation with operational services, are examining the scene of the incident. Medical and explosive-technical examinations will be conducted soon.
As reported by the agency's source, eyewitnesses are being interviewed. Investigators and forensic medicine experts are examining the scene; several tests, including medical and explosive materials tests, will be commissioned.
The department added that Investigative Committee Chairman Alexander Bastrykin ordered Moscow headquarters chief Andrei Strizhova to submit a report on the investigation and established circumstances.
Source: RIA Novosti
