Dalena Reporters l December 22, 2025
A high-ranking Russian military officer, Lieutenant General Fanil Sarvarov, was killed on Monday morning in a suspected assassination by car bomb in southern Moscow, Russian investigators have confirmed. The attack marks one of several lethal explosions targeting senior members of Russia’s armed forces during the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war.
According to a statement by the Russian Investigative Committee, an explosive device planted beneath Sarvarov’s vehicle detonated on Yaseneva Street at approximately 06:55 local time as he departed a parking area. The 56-year-old general, who headed the Operational Training Directorate of the Russian General Staff, was taken to hospital but later died from his injuries. Footage released by authorities shows the heavily damaged vehicle with blood visible inside, and investigators immediately opened a criminal case into his killing.
Investigators are pursuing multiple leads including a suspected link to Ukrainian special services, a theory Moscow has publicly raised. Ukraine has not issued an official statement regarding the incident. Russia’s Investigative Committee spokesperson indicated that forensic teams are examining evidence, interviewing witnesses, and reviewing security-camera footage to establish how the explosive was planted and detonated.
The assassination comes amid a series of attacks on senior Russian military figures, a trend that began after the outbreak of the full-scale conflict in 2022. Previous high-profile killings in similar bombings include other generals and pro-war figures, which Russian authorities have also attributed directly or indirectly to Ukrainian intelligence or covert actions.
Sarvarov had a long military career, having served in past conflicts including Chechnya and Syria, and had risen to one of the most senior training roles in the Russian armed forces. His death in the heart of Moscow a city typically considered secure underscores the vulnerability of even high-level officials to targeted attacks and may intensify political and military tensions in the region as the war continues.
Published by Dalena Reporters.