A high-ranking Russian general has been assassinated in a targeted car bomb explosion in southern Moscow, marking the third such high-profile military killing in the capital within a year.
Lieutenant General Fanil Sarvarov, the head of the Operational Training Directorate of the Russian Armed Forces’ General Staff, was killed Monday morning (22 December) after an explosive device went off under his car. The blast happened around 7:00 AM local time in the Yasenevo district as Sarvarov was driving to work, according to Russia’s Investigative Committee.
The explosion tore through a white Kia Sorento on Yasenevaya Street, damaging several nearby vehicles in a residential parking area. Investigators confirmed that a homemade explosive device, packed with shrapnel for maximum damage, had been deliberately planted under the car. While early reports said the driver was seriously injured, officials later confirmed the 56-year-old general died from his wounds.
Sarvarov was a big name in the Russian military, responsible for overseeing the combat training and readiness of forces currently deployed in Ukraine. His career included:
- Chechen Wars: Participation in counter-terrorism operations in the late 1990s and early 2000s.
- Syrian Campaign: A key role in organizing Russia’s military intervention in 2015–2016.
- General Staff: Leading the department that trains senior officers through large-scale staff exercises.
“Investigators are pursuing numerous lines of inquiry regarding the murder. One of these is that the crime was orchestrated by Ukrainian intelligence services,” Svetlana Petrenko, the official spokesperson for the Investigative Committee, said.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov confirmed President Vladimir Putin was immediately told about the general’s death, which some Russian officials are calling a “terrorist act.”
The assassination of General Sarvarov is the latest in a string of bold attacks right in the heart of the Russian capital. It follows two similar incidents:
- December 2024: Lieutenant General Igor Kirillov (Nuclear, Biological, and Chemical Defense chief) was killed by a bomb hidden in an electric scooter.
- April 2025: Lieutenant General Yaroslav Moskalik (Deputy Chief of the General Staff) was killed when a bomb in a parked car went off as he walked past.
The timing of this latest blast is especially sensitive as U.S.-sponsored peace negotiations are reportedly ongoing in Florida between U.S., Ukrainian, and European officials.
A murder investigation has been launched, and security has been beefed up across Moscow’s residential areas where high-ranking military officials live. While Kyiv hasn’t officially claimed responsibility for Sarvarov’s death, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy recently said that “justice inevitably comes” to those leading the Russian offensive.
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