Senior Russian General Killed in Moscow Car Bomb Explosion

A high-ranking Russian military officer was killed Monday morning when an explosive device planted under his car detonated in southern Moscow, Russia’s Investigative Committee announced.

Lieutenant General Fanil Sarvarov, head of the Operational Training Directorate of the Russian Armed Forces General Staff, died from injuries sustained in the blast, according to Svetlana Petrenko, the committee’s official spokesperson.

The explosion occurred around 7 a.m. local time on Yasenevaya Street in the Yasenevo district, a residential area in southern Moscow. The device was attached to the underbody of Sarvarov’s Kia Sorento and detonated as he prepared to drive, authorities said. Nearby vehicles were damaged, but no other injuries were reported.

Investigators have opened a criminal case into murder and illegal explosives handling. They are examining the possibility that Ukrainian special services orchestrated the attack, similar to previous assassinations of senior Russian figures on home soil.

No group has claimed responsibility for the incident.

The killing marks another bold strike inside Russia amid the ongoing war in Ukraine. In December 2024, Lieutenant General Igor Kirillov, chief of Russia’s nuclear, biological, and chemical protection forces, was killed by a bomb hidden on an electric scooter outside his Moscow apartment — an operation claimed by Ukraine’s SBU security service.

Sarvarov, believed to be in his 50s, played a key role in coordinating operational training for Russian forces.

Russian authorities released photos and video from the scene showing forensic teams examining the wreckage in a cordoned-off parking area.