Overview
- An overnight explosion in the same south Moscow street as the earlier assassination killed two traffic police officers, with investigators weighing conflicting accounts of whether a device was thrown into their patrol car or planted nearby.
- Lt. Gen. Fanil Sarvarov, head of operational training for Russia’s General Staff, was fatally wounded on December 22 by a magnet‑mounted improvised explosive under his Kia Sorento estimated at about 300 grams of TNT, with the trigger mechanism disputed between a brake‑linked device and remote detonation.
- Russia’s Investigative Committee opened a murder case and the Moscow prosecutor took charge as the Kremlin said President Vladimir Putin was briefed, while officials floated a Ukrainian intelligence link that has not been substantiated and Kyiv has not claimed responsibility.
- Moscow’s mayor reported air defenses downed drones heading toward the capital overnight, and Russia’s defense ministry said 172 Ukrainian drones were intercepted across several regions, including two en route to Moscow.
- Ukraine’s defense intelligence, via RBC Ukraine, alleged the slain officers had tortured Ukrainian prisoners and said the attacker was a Moscow resident acting in protest, claims not confirmed by Russian authorities, as the incidents echo prior high‑profile attacks inside Russia since 2022.