Ahmed Kamel – Egypt Daily News
A senior Russian military official has been killed in a car bomb explosion in Moscow, marking the latest high-profile attack on a Russian figure since the start of the war in Ukraine in February 2022.
Russia’s Investigative Committee announced on Monday that Lieutenant General Fanil Sarvarov, head of the Operational Training Directorate of the Russian Armed Forces within the General Staff, was killed when an explosive device detonated beneath his vehicle in the Russian capital. The explosion occurred on the morning of December 22 on Yasenevaya Street in Moscow.
According to Svetlana Petrenko, the official spokesperson for the Investigative Committee, preliminary findings indicate that an improvised explosive device had been planted under the bottom of Sarfarov’s car. The blast caused fatal injuries, and Sarfarov was pronounced dead at the scene.
Russian investigators have opened a criminal case and are examining several possible scenarios, including the illegal transportation and placement of explosives. One of the main hypotheses under review, according to the committee, is the possible involvement of Ukrainian special services. Ukrainian authorities have not commented on the incident.
Lieutenant General Sarvarov, 56, was considered a seasoned officer with decades of military experience. Russian media reported that he gained combat experience during what Moscow described as counterterrorism operations in southern Russia in the late 1990s and early 2000s. In 2016, he was appointed to lead the department responsible for operational training, overseeing the preparation of senior officers for large-scale exercises and high-level General Staff activities. He had also previously been involved in Russia’s military deployment in Syria.
The killing comes amid a broader pattern of attacks targeting Russian officials and figures linked to the military and security establishment since the launch of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Moscow has repeatedly accused Kyiv of orchestrating assassinations and sabotage operations both inside Russia and in territories under Russian control, allegations that Ukraine has often neither confirmed nor denied.
In December 2024, Ukrainian security services publicly claimed responsibility for the assassination of Igor Kirillov, the commander of Russia’s Radiation, Chemical, and Biological Defense Forces. Kirillov was killed in Moscow when an explosive device detonated near his residence. Reports at the time said the bomb had been hidden inside a parked electric scooter near the building.
Earlier incidents have also underscored the growing reach of such attacks. In 2022, Daria Dugina, a 30-year-old political activist and the daughter of nationalist philosopher Alexander Dugin, was killed when her Toyota Land Cruiser exploded on a highway outside Moscow. Russian authorities blamed Ukrainian operatives for the attack, while Kyiv denied involvement.
The death of Sarvarov is likely to further heighten security concerns within Russia’s military leadership and deepen tensions between Moscow and Kyiv, as the conflict in Ukraine continues with no clear end in sight. The investigation into the bombing remains ongoing, with Russian officials promising to identify and prosecute those responsible.
