A Russian general was killed on Monday morning when a bomb planted under his car exploded in Moscow, an attack for which Ukraine is suspected to be responsible.
The high-ranking officer who died in the blast was identified as Lieutenant General Fanil Sarvarov, who leads the Operational Training Directorate of the Russian Armed Forces’ General Staff. His role involves supervising combat training for Russia’s military campaign in Ukraine.
Sarvarov, who received numerous honors, is the third Russian general to be assassinated in this manner since December of the previous year.
As reported by Russian state media, spokesperson Svetlana Petrenko of the Russian Investigative Committee stated that a criminal case has been initiated. It is looking into a “murder committed in a socially dangerous manner” and the “illegal trafficking of explosives.”
Petrenko further noted that investigators are exploring several theories for the bombing, one of which points to Ukraine. “One of them is that the crime was organized by the Ukrainian security agencies,” Petrenko said.
The blast happened at approximately 7 a.m. local time (11 p.m. ET Sunday), according to witnesses who spoke to Russian media at the location. The incident occurred on Yasenevaya Street in southern Moscow as General Sarvarov was getting into his car near an apartment building. TIME has contacted the Russian Ministry of Defense for a statement.
Photographs from the site show a white car that was heavily damaged, with its doors blown off and the front of the vehicle appearing to sustain the worst of the destruction, as officials examined the area.
What seems to be blood was also visible on the driver’s seat. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov confirmed that President Vladimir Putin was promptly notified of Sarvarov’s death.
The assault on the 56-year-old Sarvarov mirrors other recent fatal incidents. Last April, a deputy head in the Russian army’s general staff, Lt. Gen., was similarly killed by an explosive planted in his car just outside Moscow.
In December 2024, Lt. Gen. Igor Kirillov, who commanded the military’s nuclear, biological, and chemical protection forces, was assassinated by a bomb concealed in a scooter outside his Moscow apartment.
Kirillov, who died with his assistant, had a criminal case launched against him by Ukraine’s SBU security service the day before he was killed. The SBU accused him of employing prohibited chemical weapons during Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
The SBU claimed responsibility for Kirillov’s killing but has not issued a statement regarding Monday’s event.
Kirillov was also subject to sanctions from both the United States and the European Union, which alleged his role in deploying chemical weapons in the war in Ukraine.
According to reports, Sarvarov was a general with many awards, including the Order of Courage, the Suvorov Medal, and the Order ‘For Merit to the Fatherland’. The 56-year-old also commanded Russian operations in Syria during 2015 and 2016.
The Moscow bombing follows shortly after the European Union approved a 90 billion euro loan package for Ukraine, with payments scheduled for 2026 and 2027. Although the agreement does not involve frozen Russian assets held by the EU, European Council President Ursula von der Leyen stated that Ukraine would not start repaying the loan until it obtains reparations from Russia.
“Until then, the [Russian] assets will remain immobilised. And the Union reserves its right to make use of the cash balances to finance the loan. This is the solution we found together,” she said on December 19.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky hailed the confirmed loan deal as an “important victory.”
“It is a signal to the Russians that there is no point for them to continue the war because we have financial support, and therefore, we will not collapse on the front line,” he posted on X.
On Monday, Zelensky announced that Ukraine is collaborating with Europe to enact another sanctions package. This comes after the EU introduced a 19th set of measures in November, which included actions aimed at Russia’s leading oil companies.
Over the weekend, discussions were held in Miami, Florida, between U.S. and Ukrainian officials, as well as separate U.S.-Russia negotiations.
Special Envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff met with Russian representative Kirill Dmitriev, describing their weekend talks as “productive and constructive” in a statement on Sunday.
“Russia remains fully committed to achieving peace in Ukraine. Russia highly values the efforts and support of the United States to resolve the Ukrainian conflict and re-establish global security,” said Dmitriev, who was accompanied by Jared Kushner, son-in-law of former President Donald Trump.
Dmitriev also made a short comment about the discussions on X. “Thank you, Miami. Next time: Moscow,” posted the CEO of Russia’s Direct Investment Fund.
In separate talks with Witkoff, Ukrainian representative and former Defence Minister stated on Telegram that the meetings concluded with both parties discussing “positions on a multilateral framework agreement on security guarantees” and “positions on a bilateral agreement on security guarantees from the U.S.”
