Russian General Killed in Car Bomb Attack in Moscow

Mon Dec 22 2025 12:05:16 GMT+0200 (Eastern European Standard Time)

Lt Gen Fanil Sarvarov, head of the operational training department of the Russian armed forces, was reportedly killed in a car bombing in Moscow. Investigators are looking into possible Ukrainian involvement.

Lt Gen Fanil Sarvarov has died in a car bombing in Moscow, with officials investigating claims of involvement by Ukrainian intelligence services. This incident follows a series of targeted attacks on military officials in Russia since the invasion of Ukraine in 2022.

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

Russia's Investigative Committee stated that Lt Gen Fanil Sarvarov died on Monday morning after an explosive device hidden under a car detonated.

At 56 years old, Sarvarov was the head of the armed forces' operational training department. One of the theories being explored is that the bomb was placed with assistance from Ukrainian intelligence services, though Ukraine has not responded to these allegations.

Investigators have been dispatched to the car park near an apartment block where the incident occurred. Eyewitness images depict a severely damaged white vehicle, with its doors blown off and surrounded by other cars.

Since the onset of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, several military officials within the Russian capital have been targeted. For instance, Gen Yaroslav Moskalik was killed in a car bomb attack in April, and Gen Igor Kirillov was reportedly killed in December 2024 via a bomb concealed in a scooter.

A Ukrainian source hinted that Kirillov was eliminated by Ukraine's security service; however, this has never been substantiated publicly, as Ukraine typically refrains from taking official responsibility for such targeted operations.