Russian general dies following car bomb attack in Moscow.
On Monday, December 22, a car bomb detonated beneath the vehicle of Lt. Gen. Fanil Sarvarov, who led the Operational Training Directorate of the Russian Armed Forces. The blast occurred in southern Moscow and inflicted fatal injuries on Sarvarov. He had served in Chechnya and participated in Russia’s campaign in Syria. The incident marked the third senior officer death linked to explosive attacks in Russia this year.
Spokesperson Svetlana Petrenko for the Investigative Committee said authorities were pursuing several lines of inquiry, including a possibility that Ukrainian intelligence orchestrated the attack. The committee has not yet released detailed evidence supporting this claim. Officials confirmed the inquiry remains ongoing.
The killing follows other high‑profile casualties. Lt. Gen. Igor Kirillov, chief of the nuclear, biological and chemical protection forces, was killed by a bomb on an electric scooter outside his Moscow apartment a year earlier. Lt. Gen. Yaroslav Moskalik was also killed by a car bomb near his Moscow apartment in April, and a suspect was quickly arrested.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov confirmed that President Vladimir Putin was notified immediately after the incident. The Defense Ministry noted Sarvarov’s combat service in Chechnya. No statement has yet been issued by Ukrainian authorities regarding the attack.