Overview
- Lieutenant General Fanil Sarvárov, head of the General Staff’s operational training directorate, died after an explosion under his Kia Sorento in southern Moscow around 06:55 on December 22.
- The Investigative Committee said a device was placed beneath the vehicle and likely detonated remotely, released video showing the wrecked SUV with blood in the driver’s seat, and cited reports of a magnetic mine.
- A criminal case for murder and illegal trafficking of explosives is underway, with investigators pursuing multiple leads including potential involvement by Ukrainian intelligence; Kyiv has not issued an official comment.
- Authorities say the assassination is the third targeting a senior Russian general in roughly a year, following the killings of Igor Kirillov in 2024 and Yaroslav Moskalik in April 2025.
- In the following days, a separate bombing killed two traffic police officers and a civilian in Moscow, and Russia launched a large drone-and-missile barrage on Ukraine that caused deaths and widespread power cuts.