Top Russian general killed in apparent car bomb explosion in Moscow

A top Russian general died Monday morning after a car explosion in the south of Moscow, investigators said.

Lieutenant General Fanil Sarvarov, head of the Operational Training Directorate of the Russian Armed Forces' General Staff, died from his injuries, according to Russia's investigative Committee spokesperson.

According to Russian media outlets, the blast occurred in a parking lot next to a residential building.

The committee said the incident is under investigation after a criminal case was opened into Sarvarov's death. The motive remains unknown.

Russian investigators are considering Ukraine as a possible culprit, the committee said.

“Investigators are pursuing numerous lines of enquiry regarding the murder. One of these is that the crime was orchestrated by Ukrainian intelligence services,” spokesperson Svetlana Petrenko said.

"The investigation will appoint the necessary examinations, including forensic and explosives. Witnesses and eyewitnesses are being interrogated, and surveillance cameras are being examined," she added.

Kyiv has not yet commented on the claims.

This is not the first such incident in Moscow since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in early 2022.

Russian Lieutenant General Igor Kirillov was killed by a remotely detonated scooter in December 2024, while Lieutenant General Yaroslav Moskalik died in April in a car bomb. Ukraine has not officially taken responsibility for either of the two deaths.

This is a developing story and our journalists are working on further updates.