Top Russian military contractor reportedly sets self ablaze in Moscow

Vladimir Arsenyev, a retired army captain who is currently the head of the Volna Central Research institute reportedly tried to set himself on fire in Moscow’s Red Square.

He was reportedly unharmed and subsequently taken in for questioning, according to reports from Russian publications Mash and Moskovsky Komsomolets.

Newsweek has reached out to a representative for Russia’s Ministry of Internal Affairs via email for comment.

The Context

Red Square is one of Russia’s most significant landmarks. It is home to Saint Basil’s Cathedral and Lenin’s Mausoleum.

The Volna Central Research Institute is a technical and scientific organization in Russia which specializes in developing communications and navigation equipment for commercial use and Russia’s Defense Ministry and Emergency Situations Ministry.

What We Know

The 74-year-old Arsenyev walked up to the Lenin Mausoleum, which is in the center of Red Square, and set fire to himself after he doused himself with flammable liquid, according to reports.

He suffered “minor burns” according to Moskovsky Komsomolets, which is a popular daily tabloid newspaper based in Moscow.

A report from the Moscow-based broadcaster, 360.ru, reported that police stopped the self-immolation and took the man in for questioning, citing an anonymous source.

The incident was reported on Mash, a Telegram news channel which reportedly has links to Russian law enforcement. They said that eyewitnesses saw a man douse himself with flammable liquid and then go up in flames.

According to reports from Important Stories, an independent investigative outlet and Moskovsky Komsolets, Arsenyev was accused by Russia’s Rostec State Corporation of disrupting a state defense order related to the war in Ukraine.

Newsweek has reached out to Russia’s Rostec State Corporation via email for comment.

Moskovsky Komsolets reported that Arsenyev was accused of deliberately disrupting shipments “for defense purposes” back in 2023.

The newspaper reported that Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB) had conducted an investigation of Volna’s activities.

This came after a complaint was filed which alleged that the institutes leadership was purposefully delaying shipments of equipment ordered by the Russian government for its war in Ukraine, according to reports from the Russian media outlet.

Moskovsky Komsolets subsequently reported that Arsenyev had filed a defamation lawsuit in response to these allegations. The outlet reported that this case was dismissed but did not cite any sources in this reporting.

What’s Next?

It is unclear at this time is Arsenyev’s attempted self-immolation was done in an act of protest or was an act of self-harm.

Self-immolation is a rare form of political or social protest.

In February of 2024, Aaron Bushnell, a 25-year-old active-duty airman set himself on fire in front of the Israeli embassy in Washington D.C. to protest the Israel-Hamas war.