Head of the Operational Training Department of the Russian Armed Forces General Staff, Lieutenant General Fanil Sarvarov, was killed in a car explosion on Monday, December 22, the Investigative Committee has confirmed.
Authorities are investigating multiple versions of the attack, including possible involvement by Ukrainian special services.
“Investigators are pursuing numerous lines of inquiry regarding the murder. One of these is that the crime was orchestrated by Ukrainian intelligence services,” Svetlana Petrenko, spokesperson for Russia’s Investigative Committee, said.
Lieutenant General Sarvarov Killed in Car Explosion
The Russian official added that authorities have launched a full investigation into the death of General Sarvarov, with multiple lines of inquiry being pursued.
“The investigation will appoint the necessary examinations, including forensic and explosives analysis. Witnesses and eyewitnesses are being interrogated, and surveillance camera footage is being reviewed,” she said.
Several media in Russia reported that the car exploded in a parking lot on Moscow’s Yaseneva Street with the driver inside at approximately 7 a.m.
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Video footage released by the Russian agency captured a car with its front severely damaged in a parking area.
Details of the incident remain under review as the investigation continues.
Kyiv is yet to comment on the allegations made by the Russian government.
This is not the first such incident in Moscow since Russian President Vladimir Putin’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in early 2022.
Russian Lieutenant General Igor Kirillov was killed by a remotely detonated scooter in December 2024, while General Yaroslav Moskalik died in April in a car bombing. Ukraine has not claimed responsibility for either death.
The car explosion involving the senior military official comes amid ongoing U.S.-mediated discussions aimed at ending the Russia-Ukraine war.
Zelenskyy Insists that Ukraine Will Not Cede Its Territories to Russia
These negotiations have yet to reach an agreement, particularly with President Zelenskyy’s administration opposing any territorial concessions to Russia.
Over the weekend of December 20–21, 2025, U.S. Special Envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner facilitated separate meetings with Russian envoy Kirill Dmitriev and Ukrainian officials.
The discussions focused on a 28-point peace plan proposed by the U.S., which reportedly includes provisions for territorial concessions by Ukraine and security guarantees.
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President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has publicly opposed any plan that involves ceding Ukrainian territory to Russia, insisting that Ukraine will not trade land for peace.
Although he described the Florida talks as “constructive,” he called for “more pressure on the Russians” and stressed that a final agreement is still far from being reached.
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