Overview
- Russian authorities say Lt. Gen. Fanil Sarwarov died on December 22 after a device placed under his parked SUV detonated as he began to drive in southern Moscow.
- The Investigative Committee opened a murder case and is conducting forensic work, stating it is pursuing multiple leads including potential Ukrainian special-services involvement.
- In the early hours of December 24, an explosion near the original crime scene killed two traffic police officers and a third person believed to be the suspected attacker, according to officials.
- Sarwarov, who led the General Staff’s operational training directorate and had served in Chechnya, Syria and the Ukraine campaign, was the third Russian general killed by an explosive device in a year.
- The attack follows earlier Moscow bombings that killed Generals Igor Kirillov in December 2024 and Yaroslav Moskalik in April 2025, with Ukraine’s SBU claiming responsibility in at least one prior case.