A senior Russian military official has been killed in a car bomb attack in southern Moscow, Russian investigators confirmed on Monday, in what appears to be the latest high-profile assassination linked to the ongoing war in Ukraine.
[spacer height=”20px”]
Lieutenant General Fanil Sarvarov, head of the Russian General Staff’s Army Operational Training Directorate, died after an explosive device detonated beneath his vehicle as he was leaving a parking area at approximately 06:55 a.m. Moscow time (0355 GMT), according to Russia’s State Investigative Committee.
[spacer height=”20px”]
The bomb exploded under a Kia Sorento driven by Sarvarov, causing fatal injuries. Investigators released video footage showing the wreckage of the vehicle, with one door blown off and blood visible on the driver’s seat.
[spacer height=”20px”]
Committee spokesperson Svetlana Petrenko said investigators were collecting forensic evidence, questioning witnesses, and reviewing nearby security camera footage.
[spacer height=”20px”]
[spacer height=”20px”]
“Several versions of the killing are being examined, including the possible involvement of Ukrainian intelligence services in organising the crime,” Petrenko said. There was no immediate official comment from Ukraine.
[spacer height=”20px”]
The Ukrainian-linked website Myrotvorets, which maintains a database of individuals it labels as war criminals or traitors, updated its entry on Sarvarov, stating that the 56-year-old general had been “liquidated.”
[spacer height=”20px”]
Sarvarov’s killing comes amid a series of targeted assassinations of Russian military figures and prominent supporters of Moscow’s war effort during the nearly four-year conflict in Ukraine. Ukrainian military intelligence has previously claimed responsibility for a number of such attacks.
[spacer height=”20px”]
Past victims of car bombings in or near Moscow have included a senior General Staff officer, the head of Russia’s Nuclear, Biological and Chemical Protection Troops, and the daughter of a well-known Russian nationalist figure.
[spacer height=”20px”]
Russia’s Interfax news agency quoted Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov as saying President Vladimir Putin was immediately informed of the attack.
[spacer height=”20px”]
No arrests have been announced, and investigations into the bombing are ongoing.
[spacer height=”20px”]
About The Author
