Putin’s top policeman has been severely wounded after a bomb exploded inside a barber shop.
Major General Igor Kornet, 50, was one of five injured after a grenade was thrown into the Brothers Barbershop in the Russian-occupied Luhansk region of Ukraine.
He was later reported to be on a ventilator suffering from brain and chest injuries, blast wounds, and open lacerations on his limbs.
Kornet is the acting interior minister in Luhansk, which Vladimir Putin annexed and claims is now part of Russia.
TASS, a Russian state-owned news agency, said five were wounded, and three are in critical condition.
The explosion came after the region was targeted by British-supplied Storm Shadow missiles in an earlier attack.
Unconfirmed reports say Kornet has died but local officials insist he is still alive. Prominent blogger Anatoly Shariy said: ‘According to my information, Kornet is gone.
This was contradicted by an LPR health official, who said: ‘He is alive. His condition is stable.’
It is thought Kornet was the target, but others say it could be seen as a warning to the head of Wagner’s mercenary army Yevgeny Prigozhin due to their friendship.
Footage shows the area covered by debris, with windows and walls completely blown off.
TASS reported: ‘The explosion occurred inside a barbershop. It looks like it was a hand grenade because the explosion broke the windows and the door. Several people were wounded.’
