Ukrainian intelligence agents are among possible suspects.
On Monday, Svetlana Petrenko, spokeswoman for Russia’s Investigative Committee, said the head of operations of the Russian Army General Staff, Fanil Sarvarov, was killed by an explosive device planted under his car as he was driving on Yasenevo Street in Moscow.
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The blast occurred in a parking area about 150 meters (490 feet) from the home where the general lived. The explosion was caused by a magnetic mine attached to the underside of the vehicle. The general drove several hundred meters before the explosive device was triggered. Investigators are considering several versions of the killing, one of which places responsibility on Ukrainian intelligence services.
“The Investigative Committee’s Main Investigative Directorate has opened a criminal case for murder and the illegal trafficking of explosive substances,” Petrenko said, mentioning that investigators and forensic specialists from the committee’s central office have been dispatched to the scene.
“The examination of the scene is continuing. Investigators will carry out the necessary forensic tests, including forensic medical and explosives examinations. Witnesses are being questioned and security cameras are being reviewed,” she added.
CAR BLAST in Moscow LATEST:
– explosive device planted under the vehicle
– Russian Lieutenant General Fanil Sarvarov KILLED
– criminal case initiated
– Ukrainian special forces allegedly behind attack https://t.co/yzArIkoQJg pic.twitter.com/OGr1aFwG0P
— RT (@RT_com) December 22, 2025
The Investigative Committee published a video on Telegram showing the damaged vehicle, in which traces of the victim’s blood can be seen. Sarvarov, born in 1969, was a graduate of the Kazan Higher Tank Academy, the Military Academy of Armored Forces and the Russian General Staff Military Academy.
In 2022, he was added to the Ukrainian website Mirotvorets, which lists what it calls “enemies of Ukraine.” Since the start of the war, Ukraine has claimed responsibility for several similar attacks that have killed, among others, Lt. Gen. Yaroslav Moskalik, deputy head of the operations command of the Russian Armed Forces General Staff, and Lt. Gen. Igor Kirilov, head of Russia’s radiological, chemical and biological defense forces.
Russian President Vladimir Putin, who was immediately informed of what authorities described as a terrorist act, has criticized the intelligence services for failures in protecting senior military commanders.
#FromTheSouth News Bits | Russia: An apartment building was damaged after a nighttime drone attack in the province of Tver, less than 200 kilometers northwest of Moscow. pic.twitter.com/CfTYyz5KSl
— teleSUR English (@telesurenglish) December 15, 2025
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Source: EFE
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