Russian General Killed in Car Bomb Explosion in Moscow
Investigators probe possible Ukrainian intelligence link as senior Russian officer dies in Moscow blast
Moscow, Dec 22: A senior Russian military officer was killed on Monday after a car bomb exploded in Moscow, Russian authorities said, raising fresh security concerns amid the ongoing conflict with Ukraine.
Lieutenant General Fanil Sarvarov, head of the Operational Training Directorate of the Russian Armed Forces’ General Staff, succumbed to injuries sustained in the blast, according to Russia’s Investigative Committee. Official spokesperson Svetlana Petrenko said investigators are examining multiple angles, including the possibility that the attack was orchestrated by Ukrainian intelligence agencies.
“One of the key versions under consideration is the involvement of Ukrainian special services,” Petrenko said, adding that forensic teams are continuing to analyse evidence from the explosion site.
Since Russia launched its military offensive in Ukraine in February 2022, several high-profile attacks have targeted Russian military officials and pro-Kremlin figures both inside Russia and in Russian-controlled Ukrainian territories.
In April, Deputy Chief of the General Staff General Yaroslav Moskalik was killed in a car blast near Moscow. Earlier, in December 2024, Igor Kirillov, head of Russia’s radiological, chemical and biological defence forces, died after a booby-trapped electric scooter exploded in the capital—an attack later claimed by Ukraine’s SBU security service.
Other notable incidents include the April 2023 killing of Russian military blogger Maxim Fomin in a café explosion in Saint Petersburg and the August 2022 car bombing that killed Daria Dugina, daughter of ultranationalist ideologue Alexander Dugin.
Authorities said investigations into Monday’s attack are ongoing.
