A high-ranking Russian military commander has been assassinated in a suspected car bomb attack in the heart of Moscow, sparking immediate accusations against Ukrainian intelligence services and exposing a significant security breach.
Details of the Deadly Explosion
Lieutenant-General Fanil Sarvarov, 56, was on his way to work at the Russian defence ministry when a powerful explosive device detonated under his Kia Sorento. The blast occurred at 6:55am in the Yasenevo district of the capital.
Initial reports from Russian authorities stated the officer was gravely wounded, but this was later updated to confirm his death. Rescuers found him alive but trapped in the mangled vehicle, suffering from multiple shrapnel injuries, closed fractures, leg injuries, and a fractured facial bone.
His wife rushed to the chaotic scene but was reportedly not allowed to see her wounded husband initially. The force of the explosion damaged seven other cars in the vicinity.
A High-Profile Target with Kremlin Links
Lt-Gen Sarvarov was a prominent figure within the Russian military establishment. He served as the head of the Department of Operational Training of the General Staff of the Armed Forces, a role that placed him at the core of military planning.
He was personally promoted by President Vladimir Putin last year and was known to be close to Russia's most senior general, Valery Gerasimov. Sarvarov had a combat record from wars in Syria and Chechnya.
However, he was also listed on the Ukrainian Myrotvorets site as a 'Russian war criminal', accused of being involved in the genocide of the Ukrainian people through the organisation of military operations against civilians and infrastructure.
Investigation and Wider Implications
The Russian Investigative Committee has launched a murder probe. Spokesperson Svetlana Petrenko confirmed a criminal case was opened and stated that one key theory is that the crime was orchestrated by Ukrainian intelligence services.
This incident follows a pattern of attacks on senior Russian military figures on home soil. In the past year, Lt-Gen Igor Kirillov died in a blast outside his apartment, and Major-General Yaroslav Moskalik was killed by an exploding car near his residence.
The strike has ignited furious calls for revenge on Russian war channels, while a Ukrainian Telegram channel described it as 'good news'. In a separate development, Ukraine's GUR military intelligence claimed to have destroyed Su-27 and Su-30 warplanes at Russia's Lipetsk air base on the same day.
This assassination underscores the severe challenges Russian authorities face in protecting their top brass and signals a potential intensification of covert warfare far from the front lines in Ukraine.
