Russian special forces kill a gunman who broke into a house near Moscow

MOSCOW (Reuters) – Russian security forces on Saturday killed a heavily armed gunman who broke into a private home on the outskirts of Moscow and fired at them as he reportedly threatened to march on the Kremlin.

The attacker was spotted by guards after he broke into an unoccupied house located in the elite cottage village of Istra District, about 45 kilometers (less than 30 miles) west of Moscow. When two guards and a police officer entered the house, the man held them at gunpoint, but the three later managed to escape, according to Russian media.

For several hours, the authorities negotiated with the attacker, who was in combat fatigues and carrying a Kalashnikov assault rifle. The man claimed he had come from the front lines in Ukraine and had been moved by God to walk to the Kremlin, the seat of government in Moscow.

The Russian National Guard said it refused to surrender and shot and killed the special forces when they stormed the house. It added that the attacker was in possession of several automatic weapons and hand grenades.

Russian lawmaker Alexander Khinstein identified the attacker as 35-year-old Vyacheslav Chernenko, who resides in Krasnoyarsk, Siberia. It was not immediately clear if he had actually fought in Ukraine as he claimed.

Istra manager Tatyana Vitocheva described the attacker as mentally unstable.

Some Russian media claimed that the hut he broke into belonged to Viktor Yanukovych, the former president of Moscow-friendly Ukraine who was ousted from office by mass protests and given shelter by Russia. It has been put up for sale by its current owner, who was abroad when the accident occurred.

The stand-off attracted close media attention, nearly a month after mercenary commander Yevgeny Prigozhin launched a short-lived rebellion that saw Wagner’s forces seize the military headquarters in the southern city of Rostov-on-Don and then drive 200 kilometers (125 miles) from Moscow in an attempt to overthrow the country’s top military leaders.

Prigozhin agreed to end the June 23-24 rebellion under a deal that offered amnesty for him and his mercenaries and allowed them to relocate to Belarus.