Russian Lt Gen Fanil Sarvarov Killed in Car Bomb Attack in Moscow
Lt Gen Fanil Sarvarov, head of the Russian General Staff's Army Operational Training Directorate and the armed forces' operational training department, was killed by a car bomb in a parking lot near an apartment building on Yaseneva Street in southern Moscow on 22 December 2025. The explosion occurred around 7:00 local time while Sarvarov was inside the vehicle.
Investigators were dispatched to the scene to investigate the blast, which is being treated as a potential targeted killing of a senior military official. Russia’s Investigative Committee spokesperson Svetlana Petrenko stated that multiple lines of inquiry are being pursued, including the possible involvement of Ukrainian intelligence services. Ukraine has not officially commented on or claimed responsibility for this attack.
This incident is part of a series of targeted attacks on Russian military officials in Moscow since Russia's invasion of Ukraine in 2022. In April 2025, General Yaroslav Moskalik was killed in a car bomb attack in Moscow. Additionally, in December 2024, Lt Gen Igor Kirillov, head of the military's NBC protection forces, was killed when a bomb hidden on an electric scooter was remotely detonated outside his apartment, killing both Kirillov and his assistant, Ilya Polikarpov. A Ukrainian source told the BBC that Ukraine's security service claimed responsibility for Kirillov's killing, though this has not been officially confirmed.
The investigation into Sarvarov's death continues as authorities consider all possibilities amidst heightened tensions resulting from the ongoing conflict.
