A high-ranking Russian official, Lieutenant General Fanil Sarvarov, was killed early Monday morning after a bomb detonated under his vehicle, reports say.
BREAKING: Russian general killed after detonation of device under his car in Moscow
— The Spectator Index (@spectatorindex) December 22, 2025
Sarvarov was Head of the Operational Training Department of the Russian armed forces. He was part of the invasion into Ukraine as well as wars in Chechnya and Syria in 2015-2016.
He took his position as Head of Operational Training in 2016.
Fanil Sarvarov, Head of the Operational Training Department of the Russian armed forces, was blown up in a car in Moscow and died.
— Anton Gerashchenko (@Gerashchenko_en) December 22, 2025
Sarvarov took part in Russia's full-scale invasion into Ukraine, took part in wars in Chechnya and Syria. pic.twitter.com/Cp8ORUR5Ki
Authorities haven't ruled out Ukrainian involvement in the blast.
A Russian general was killed in a car bomb in Moscow, Russia's investigative committee said https://t.co/kajpAQoa2L pic.twitter.com/8I9kTjImc6
— Reuters (@Reuters) December 22, 2025
"The inspection of the scene is ongoing," said Svetlana Petrenko, spokesperson for the Russian Investigative Committee, as translated by Reuters. "Investigators will order the necessary examinations, including forensic and explosive analysis. Eyewitnesses are being questioned and security camera footage is being reviewed. Various versions of the killing are being examined, one of which involves the possibility of Ukrainian intelligence services in organizing the crime."
A Russian general was killed by a car bomb in southern Moscow on Monday, Russian investigators said, adding that they suspected Ukrainian special services could have been behind the attack.The bomb exploded under the Kia Sorento car driven by Lieutenant General Fanil Sarvarov, head of the Russian General Staff's army operational training directorate, as he left a parking space at 06:55 Moscow time (0355 GMT).
Russia's State Investigative Committee said Sarvarov had died from his injuries. It published video of the wrecked vehicle, with blood visible on the driver's seat and one of the doors blown off.
According to Sky News, Sarvarov isn't the first high-profile Russian killed since the start of the Ukraine war. in April of this year, Lieutenant General Yaroslav Moskalik was also killed by a car bomb in Moscow. Last December, Lieutenant General Igor Kirillov and his assistant were killed outside a Moscow apartment when a bomb in an electric scooter detonated. Valery Trankovsky, a Russian naval captain, was killed in a car bombing in November, and Andrie Korotkiy, a nuclear power plant employee, was killed in a car bombing as well. Former Ukrainian lawmaker Illia Kyva was shot and killed near Moscow in 2023, Russian military officer Stanislav Rzhitsky was shot dead while on a morning run, Vladen Tatarsky, a pro-war military blogger, was killed by a bomb in a St. Petersburg cafe, and Darya Dugina, the daughter of a pro-war nationalist figure, was killed by a car bomb in August 2022.
Sky News is also reporting that the Kremlin denies that Putin has plans to invade other European nations, despite U.S. intelligence reports that warn Putin has not scrapped his plan to recapture all of Ukraine and parts of Europe that once belonged to the Soviet empire. President Trump and Ukraine peace negotiators have said Putin wants to end the war.
As of this writing, no officials from the Trump administration have commented on the bombing. How this latest development will impact President Trump's push for a peace deal remains to be seen.