Russian general killed in Moscow car bomb, officials investigating Ukraine role
A Russian general was killed Monday after a bomb exploded under his car in Moscow, officials said.
Russian investigators said they were looking into whether Lt. Gen. Fanil Sarvarov was assassinated by Ukrainian intelligence.
NBC News has requested a response from the Ukrainian government.
Sarvarov, 56, was head of the operational training directorate of the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces.
On Monday morning, “an explosive device placed under the bottom of a car exploded” on Yasenevaya Street, south of the city, Russian Investigative Committee spokesperson Svetlana Petrenko said in a statement.
“Investigators are studying various theories regarding the murder,” Petrenko said. “One of them is that the crime was orchestrated by Ukrainian intelligence services. »
Russian President Vladimir Putin was “immediately” informed of the incident, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters.
If confirmed, it would not be the first time that Ukraine has carried out the assassination of a high-ranking general deep inside Russia.
In April, he claimed responsibility for the killing of Lt. Gen. Yaroslav Moskalik in a car bomb explosion near the Russian capital. And in December 2024, she claimed to be behind the death of Lieutenant General Igor Kirillov, head of Russia’s chemical, radiological and biological weapons unit.
In addition to high-profile assassinations, Ukraine has also demonstrated its ability to reach deep inside Russia to strike Kremlin fighter jets and ships.
In June, Operation Spiderweb saw Ukraine unleash swarms of drones on several Russian airfields, destroying at least 10 planes and damaging dozens more. This month, kyiv said one of its underwater drones destroyed a Russian submarine in a Black Sea port, a claim Russia denies.
The general’s killing comes after a new round of negotiations was held this weekend as President Donald Trump pushes for a peace deal.
Putin’s special envoy, Kirill Dmitriev, was due to report to the Russian leader on Monday after returning from talks with members of Trump’s team in Miami, Peskov said.
Dmitriev said Saturday that discussions were “constructive” with Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff and his son-in-law Jared Kushner.
At the same time, Witkoff met separately with Ukrainian and European representatives, calling the discussions “productive and constructive.”
Despite these positive words, the White House’s months-long peace efforts have so far failed to bridge the gap between Moscow’s maximalist demands and the serious concerns of kyiv and Europe.
This is a developing story. Please check again for updates.
