Russian general killed in suspected Ukrainian car bomb attack

A senior Russian general has been killed in a car bomb attack in Moscow, Russian investigators have said.

Lt Gen Fanil Sarvarov, head ‍of the Russian General Staff’s operational training ‍directorate, was “murdered” in the explosion on Monday morning, the country’s investigative committee ⁠said.

It added that it was investigating the possibility that the bomb was planted by Ukrainian special forces.

Both Moscow and Kyiv have engaged in cross-border assassination attempts throughout the war, targeting military generals and senior political figures in an attempt to gain the upper hand.

Lt Gen Sarvarov’s Kia Sorento exploded at 6.55am local time on Yasenevaya Street in southern Moscow, close to the homes of several other officials from Russia’s military intelligence agency.

The force of the explosion was such that at least seven cars parked nearby also sustained damage, according to local Russian Telegram channels.

Footage posted online showed multiple emergency service vehicles at the scene and pieces of metal scattered across the floor. A separate photo also shows a heavily damaged car, which is believed to have belonged to Lt Gen Sarvarov.

The 56-year-old general worked in the Russian ministry of defence and was in charge of training the Kremlin’s armed forces.

Lt Gen Sarvarov participated in combat operations in Chechnya, Syria and Ossetia as well as Ukraine, according to a public database of Russian generals.

He won an Order of Courage, one of the highest state decorations, and was awarded the military rank of Lieutenant General by presidential decree in 2024.

Svetlana Petrenko, spokeswoman for Russia’s investigative committee, told reporters on Monday that Lt Gen Sarvarov had been wounded by “an explosive device planted under his car” and later died as a result of his injuries.

Kyiv said earlier this year its intelligence operations on Russian soil targeted individuals involved in war crimes against Ukraine, describing them as “legitimate” targets.

Kyiv’s focus has shifted from propagandists to the architects and operators of Vladimir Putin’s war machine, including senior military figures.

Among the most striking assassinations was the killing of Lt Gen Igor Kirillov on Dec 17 last year. The officer, who was in charge of Russia’s nuclear, chemical and biological weapons, was killed by a remotely detonated device hidden inside an electric scooter.

Days prior to Kirillov’s death, Mikhail Shatsky, an engineer involved in missile and drone production, was shot dead. In April 2025, car bombs killed two senior figures linked to electronic warfare and operational planning, including Gen Yaroslav Moskalik, a key figure in Russia’s General Staff.

Acled, a global conflict monitor, has also recorded apparent suicide bombings in Russia, including the killings of Armen Sarkisian, the founder of the Arbat battalion, and Zaur Gurtsiev, who oversaw the devastating bombardment of Mariupol.

Since 2022, at least five high-profile killings have taken place in Luhansk, the eastern region of Ukraine, including that of Igor Kornet, the Russian-installed interior minister.