• Source:JND

A senior Russian military officer, Lieutenant General Fanil Sarvarov, was killed on Monday morning after an explosive device planted under his car detonated in southern Moscow, Russian authorities said. The killing has sent shockwaves through Russia’s security establishment, with investigators probing possible links to Ukrainian special forces.

Russia’s Investigative Committee confirmed that Sarvarov, who headed the Operational Training Directorate of the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces, died of injuries sustained in the blast. The explosion occurred at around 6:55 am local time as he was leaving a parking area, investigators said.

Blast Under Senior Officer’s Car

According to officials cited by Reuters, the bomb was placed beneath a Kia Sorento being driven by Lt Gen Sarvarov. A video released by the Investigative Committee showed the badly damaged vehicle, with visible bloodstains on the driver’s seat.

Authorities have opened a murder case and are examining multiple angles, including the possibility of foreign intelligence involvement. “One of the versions being investigated is the involvement of Ukrainian special services,” the committee said in a statement. There was no immediate response from Kyiv.

Who Was Fanil Sarvarov?

Lieutenant General Fanil Sarvarov, born in 1969, was among the most senior officers in Russia’s General Staff. He played a key role in overseeing combat training, operational preparedness and military exercises across the armed forces.

Sarvarov was a veteran of several major conflicts involving Russia. He took part in both Chechen wars and the Ossetian-Ingush conflict in the 1990s and early 2000s. Later, he was involved in organising Russian military operations in Syria during 2015–16 and had a significant role in shaping training frameworks linked to the Ukraine campaign. He was appointed head of the General Staff’s operational training directorate in 2016. Sarvarov was an alumnus of the Kazan Higher Tank Command School and the Military Academy of the General Staff.

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The killing marks the latest in a series of high-profile attacks targeting Russian military officials since Moscow launched its military operation in Ukraine in February 2022. In April this year, Major General Yaroslav Moskalik, a deputy head of the General Staff’s operations directorate, was killed in a car bomb attack near Moscow.

In December 2024, Lieutenant General Igor Kirillov, chief of Russia’s radiological, chemical and biological defence forces, was killed when a bomb hidden on an electric scooter exploded outside his apartment. That attack was later claimed by Ukraine’s SBU security service. Earlier incidents also include the 2023 killing of military blogger Maxim Fomin in Saint Petersburg and the 2022 car bomb attack that killed Daria Dugina, daughter of Russian ultranationalist ideologue Alexander Dugin.

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Russian authorities said investigations are ongoing to identify those responsible for the latest bombing. Security measures around senior military officials in Moscow are expected to be tightened amid concerns of further targeted attacks.


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