Moscow [Russia], December 23: A Russian general has been killed in a bomb blast in Moscow, state investigators said on Monday, the latest in a series of attacks targeting senior military figures.
The Investigative Committee said Lieutenant General Fanil Sarvarov was killed by an explosive device attached to his car in a residential district in the south of the Russian capital.
Investigators are examining several possible motives for the killing, including whether the Ukrainian intelligence services were involved, committee spokeswoman Svetlana Petrenko said in a statement.
Sarvarov, 56, most recently served as a department head on Russia's General Staff, responsible for operational training, and was involved in Russia's war on Ukraine.
According to the Defence Ministry, he served for several years in Chechnya and took part in Russia's military intervention in Syria in 2015-16 in support of President Bashar al-Assad.
The explosion took place in a car park in a residential area, investigators said.
Russian newspaper Kommersant reported that Sarvarov drove only a few metres before the device exploded. Russian Telegram channels said he was critically wounded and later died in hospital.
The attack follows a series of similar incidents targeting senior Russian officers and propagandists.
In August 2022, pro-Kremlin commentator Darya Dugina was killed in a car bomb attack. She was the daughter of nationalist ideologue and Putin ally Aleksandr Dugin.
In April 2023, a bomb killed Russian military blogger Vladlen Tatarsky in a cafe in St Petersburg.
The explosive was hidden inside a small statue handed to him by a woman who was later convicted on terrorism charges.
On December 17, 2024, General Igor Kirillov, who commanded Russia's nuclear, biological and chemical defence forces, was killed in a bomb attack in Moscow. The explosive device was hidden in a parked electric scooter and detonated remotely. Ukrainian intelligence later claimed responsibility.
This past April, Russian general Yaroslav Moskalik was killed in Moscow when an bomb detonated near a vehicle as he walked past.
Moskalik had previously been involved in negotiations over the conflict in Ukraine.
Source: Qatar Tribune
