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, 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.

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,

Russian security forces allege Ukraine's role behind the bomb blast in Moscow. Sarkisyan, a pro-Russian leader, was on the wanted list of Kyiv for a long time

The bomb detonated just as Sarkisyan, accompanied by his bodyguards, entered the basement of the “Scarlet Sails” complex on the banks of the Moskva River just 12 km from the Kremlin, according to Russ

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.

A Ukrainian separatist wanted by Kyiv was killed in a “carefully planned” explosion at a luxury apartment block in north-west Moscow on Monday.

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

Armen Sarkisyan, the Moscow-backed collaborator from Ukraine's Donetsk region, died in hospital after being injured in an explosion in an elite residential complex in Moscow on Monday, according to Russian state-run outlets.

Armen Sargsyan, the leader of a pro-Russian paramilitary group in eastern Ukraine, died in a hospital after he was injured in an explosion in Moscow on Monday, Russian officials said.