A Russian general suspected of ordering a missile attack on a children's hospital in Kyiv, Ukraine, has been shot in Russia, according to U.S. broadcaster CNN.

According to CNN, Russia's Investigative Committee announced that an investigation into an attempted murder has been launched after a military serviceman was shot multiple times and hospitalized in the city of Engels, Saratov Oblast, on the 3rd (local time).

Local media reported that the victim was shot in the face and torso and was airlifted to Moscow for medical treatment, CNN noted.

Although the identity of the victim was not disclosed by the committee, Russian Telegram channels have reported that the victim is Major General Nikolai Varpahovych, commander of the 22nd Guards Heavy Bomber Aviation Division of the Russian Aerospace Forces' Long-Range Aviation.

Euronews, a Lyon, France-based TV news channel, reported that an unidentified gunman on a motorcycle fired two shots at Varpahovych as he was emerging from a store and then fled.

Engels is home to a major base for Russian strategic bomber units, housing aircraft such as Tu-95MS and Tu-160, which Russia uses to launch long-range cruise missiles against Ukraine.

Varpahovych was identified by Ukrainian authorities as the person who ordered the Kh-101 missile attack targeting the Ohmatdyt children's hospital in Kyiv in July 2024.

The attack at the time left three people dead and dozens injured.

Ukrainian authorities announced on the 31st of last month that they had formally notified Varpahovych of war crimes charges.

While Ukraine has not officially commented on the shooting of Varpahovych, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy made remarks in an address on the same day that appeared to hint at the attack.

He stated that Ukraine would also carry out its own asymmetric operations against Russia, adding, "Russian criminals will be found. And today reaffirms this fact. Confirmation comes from the Saratov region."

In recent years, a series of attacks suspected to be assassination attempts against high-ranking Russian military officials have occurred.

Lieutenant General Igor Kirillov, former head of the Russian military's Nuclear, Biological, and Chemical Protection Troops, died in December 2024 when an explosive device planted on a scooter detonated.

Lieutenant General Yaroslav Moskalik, former deputy chief of the Main Operational Directorate of the Russian General Staff, and Lieutenant General Fanil Sarbarov, who led the military's operational training department, both died in car bombings in Moscow last year.

Armen Sarkisyan, founder of a pro-Russian militia organization, died in a bomb attack in central Moscow in February of last year.

Russia has pointed to Ukraine as the mastermind behind these incidents, while Ukraine has never officially acknowledged involvement.

(Photo: AP, Yonhap News)