A Russian major general was killed on Monday morning in a car explosion in southern Moscow, according to Russia’s Investigative Committee, which stated that it is examining the possibility of involvement by Ukraine’s security services.
Authorities said the device detonated in the vehicle of Major General Fanil Sharvarov, a KIA Sorento, at around 06:55 local time, moments after he departed from a parking area. Sharvarov, who served as director of the Russian General Staff’s training department, “succumbed to his injuries,” investigators said in an official statement.
The Investigative Committee confirmed that a criminal investigation has been opened on charges of homicide and illegal handling of explosives, adding that the attack may be “connected” to Ukrainian special services. The agency also released video footage showing the destroyed vehicle with visible bloodstains near the driver’s seat.
A pattern of targeted attacks
Since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, Kyiv has repeatedly been accused of orchestrating targeted attacks against military and political figures inside Russia and in occupied Ukrainian territories.
Notable incidents include:
• August 2022: The killing of Darya Dugina, daughter of ultranationalist ideologue Aleksandr Dugin, in a car explosion outside Moscow.
• April 2023: The death of military blogger Maxim Fomin in a St Petersburg café after an explosive device concealed in a small statue detonated.
• April 2024: The killing of General Yaroslav Moskalik, deputy head of the General Operations Directorate, in a car blast near Moscow.
• December 2024: The assassination of General Igor Kirillov, head of Russia’s Nuclear, Biological and Chemical Defence Forces, via an explosive device placed on an electric scooter outside his home. Ukraine’s Security Service (SBU) claimed responsibility.
Monday’s attack, the fifth of its kind in less than four years, has intensified scrutiny over internal security failures and whether Ukrainian covert operations have expanded deeper into Russian territory.
Source: AMNA