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 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.