Russian General Killed In Moscow Car Bomb Attack As Investigators Probe Possible Ukrainian Link

A senior Russian military officer has been killed in a car bombing in Moscow.

Russia’s Investigative Committee said Lieutenant General Fanil Sarvarov, 56, died on Monday morning after an explosive device planted under a car detonated in a car park near an apartment block in the south of the capital. He later died in the hospital from his injuries.

Sarvarov headed the armed forces’ operational training department, according to investigators.

They said a murder investigation had been opened, along with a separate probe into the illegal trafficking of explosives.

One line of inquiry being examined is possible involvement by Ukrainian intelligence services. Ukraine has not commented on the incident.

Investigators were dispatched to the scene shortly after the blast. Images circulating from the area show a white car badly damaged, with its doors blown out, surrounded by other vehicles in the parking area.

Russian media reports say Sarvarov had a long military career, including involvement in the Ossetian-Ingush conflict and the Chechen wars in the 1990s and early 2000s. He also reportedly led Russian operations in Syria between 2015 and 2016.

The Kremlin said President Vladimir Putin was informed of Sarvarov’s death shortly after it happened.

Since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, several senior military figures have been targeted in Moscow.

General Yaroslav Moskalik was killed in a car bomb attack in April, while General Igor Kirillov died in December 2024 when an explosive device hidden in a scooter was detonated remotely.

A Ukrainian source later told the BBC that Kirillov had been killed by Ukraine’s security service, although this was never officially confirmed.

As a matter of policy, Ukraine does not publicly claim responsibility for targeted attacks.

More: BBC News