An explosion occurred in the Moscow residence of Andriy Pinchuk, a former minister of state security for the self-proclaimed Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR), after a courier delivered a package to him. Reports indicate that Pinchuk was unharmed, having managed to take refuge behind armored doors.
The blast resulted in shattered windows and damaged doors within the building. The incident has drawn attention as it marks the third assassination attempt within a week targeting individuals associated with Russia’s military actions in Ukraine.
Pinchuk’s background includes a role in the Ministry of State Security of the unrecognized Transnistria in the early 2000s, followed by participation in combat on behalf of pro-Russian separatists in the Donbas region. He was involved in the annexation of Crimea in March 2014, where he claimed to have facilitated the transfer of Ukrainian special forces units to Russian control and helped prepare for a controversial referendum.
From 2014 to 2015, Pinchuk served as the minister of state security for the DPR. More recently, in 2022, he led a unit known as ‘Center’ during the fighting in Izyum and commanded the ‘BARS-13’ unit from 2023 to 2025, which participated in battles in Bakhmut.
On June 9, prior to the explosion at Pinchuk’s residence, a high-ranking officer in the supply department of the Russian Ministry of Defense was killed in the Moscow region. Additionally, there was an attempted bombing of a vehicle near a Rostec facility in Moscow. The Investigative Committee reported that they thwarted an attempt to assassinate an employee of a scientific and production enterprise and detained two minors in connection with this case.
The explosion at Andriy Pinchuk's Moscow home highlights increasing violence against individuals linked to Russia's military operations in Ukraine. This incident follows two other attacks within a week, raising concerns about security among those involved in the conflict.