Car Bomb Claims Life of Russian General in Moscow

Mon Dec 22 2025 13:12:58 GMT+0200 (Eastern European Standard Time)

Lieutenant General Fanil Sarvarov, head of the operational training department, was killed in a car bombing in Moscow. Investigations suggest potential involvement of Ukrainian intelligence services.

A car bomb in Moscow has killed Lieutenant General Fanil Sarvarov, aged 56, a senior figure in the Russian military. The blast occurred in a car park, with ongoing investigations examining links to Ukrainian intelligence, although Ukraine has yet to comment. This incident marks a significant escalation in the targeting of military officials in the Russian capital since the war with Ukraine escalated in 2022.

A Russian general has been killed in a car bombing in Moscow, officials reported.

Russia's Investigative Committee confirmed that Lt Gen Fanil Sarvarov died on Monday morning after an explosive device planted under his vehicle detonated.

Sarvarov, 56, was serving as the head of the armed forces' operational training department.

According to initial theories being explored, Ukrainian intelligence services may have been involved in the plot; however, Ukraine has not issued any response to this accusation.

Investigators have been dispatched to the scene, located in a car park near a residential block in southern Moscow. Images from the site depict a severely damaged white car with its doors blown off, surrounded by other vehicles.

Since the onset of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, several military officials have been targeted in Moscow. Notably, Gen Yaroslav Moskalik was killed in a similar car bomb attack in April, and Gen Igor Kirillov perished in December 2024 when a device attached to a scooter was detonated remotely.

A Ukrainian source later indicated that the attack on Kirillov was executed by Ukraine's security service, though this claim has not been officially verified. As a policy, Ukraine does not confirm responsibility for such operations.