MOSCOW – Lieutenant General Fanil Sarvarov, a high-ranking officer in the Russian Armed Forces, was killed on Monday morning in a targeted car bomb explosion in southern Moscow. The 56-year-old General served as the Head of the Operational Training Directorate of the Russian General Staff, overseeing the combat readiness and training of troops currently engaged in the conflict in Ukraine.
The Incident According to the Russian Investigative Committee, an explosive device was planted under Sarvarov’s white Kia Sorento and detonated as he was driving along Yasenevaya Street in the Orekhovo-Borisovo Yuzhnoye district around 10:39 AM (local time). The General died of his injuries shortly after the blast.
Suspicions and Context Russian authorities have launched a murder investigation, with the Investigative Committee explicitly stating that the attack may have been “orchestrated by Ukrainian intelligence services.” This marks the third high-profile assassination of a Russian general in the capital within a year:
- Lt. Gen. Igor Kirillov (Nuclear/Chemical Defense Chief) – Killed by a booby-trapped electric scooter in December 2024.
- Lt. Gen. Yaroslav Moskalik (Deputy Chief of Operational Directorate) – Killed in a car bombing in April 2025.
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov confirmed that President Vladimir Putin has been briefed on the incident. Ukraine has not officially commented on the blast.
