Overview
- The explosion occurred around 1:30 a.m. on Yeletskaya Street in southern Moscow as two traffic police officers approached a suspicious individual, investigators said.
- Russia’s Interior Ministry identified the officers as Lt. Ilya Klimanov, 24, and Lt. Maxim Gorbunov, 25, with investigators confirming a third person was also killed.
- The site is near where Lt. Gen. Fanil Sarvarov was killed days earlier by a car bomb under his vehicle, though officials have not said the two incidents are linked.
- The Investigative Committee opened cases related to the killing of law enforcement officers and illegal explosives trafficking, with chief Alexander Bastrykin ordering federal-level forensic support while teams review CCTV and conduct medical and explosives analyses.
- Ukrainian military intelligence sources, without independent verification, alleged the slain officers had tortured Ukrainian POWs, and some Russian Telegram channels claimed the suspected bomber died in the blast; Ukraine has not issued an official comment.