Russian general killed after bomb planted under his car explodes in Moscow

Lt. Gen. Fanil Sarvarov died from his injuries after an explosive device detonated under his vehicle

An investigator working at the scene where Lt. Gen. Fanil Sarvarov, head of the Operational Training Directorate of the Russian Armed Forces General Staff, was killed by an explosive device placed under his car in Moscow

A Russian general was killed in a car bombing in Moscow, investigators have said.

Lt Gen Fanil Sarvarov died on Monday morning after an explosive device detonated under a car.

Veteran officer Sarvarov, 56, was responsible for the military’s combat training and readiness in the war in Ukraine,

“Investigators are pursuing numerous lines of enquiry regarding the murder,” a spokesperson for Russia’s Investigative Committee said. “One of these is that the crime was orchestrated by Ukrainian intelligence services.”

There was no immediate comment from Ukraine.

Local media reported that a car blew up in a parking lot on Moscow's Yaseneva Street with the driver inside at approximately 7 a.m. The vehicle reportedly drove for several metres before the explosion.

An investigator works at the scene where Lt Gen Fanil Sarvarov was killed (via REUTERS)

Sarvarov, who was the head of the operational training directorate of the Russian armed forces’ general staff, died from his injuries after being taken to hospital, officials confirmed.

Russian media said Sarvarov had also been involved in the Chechen wars in the 1990s and 2000s, and had a role in operations in Syria.

President Vladimir Putin was “immediately informed” of his death via special service channels, the Kremlin said.

Russia has blamed Ukraine for a string of similar attacks since the 2022 invasion.

Ukraine’s security service claimed responsibility for an attack against a high-ranking Russian soldier last December.

Lt Gen Igor Kirillov, the chief of the military’s nuclear, biological and chemical protection forces, was killed by a bomb hidden on an electric scooter outside his apartment building a day after Kyiv levelled criminal charges against him.

The inside of a vehicle destroyed in an explosion in Moscow that killed the officer (via REUTERS)

His assistant, Ilya Polikarpov, was also killed.

Gen Yaroslav Moskalik was killed in April when a car exploded next to his house in Moscow. The Kremlin blamed Ukraine, which did not comment.

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