MOSCOW (MNN); A senior Russian military general was killed on Monday morning when a car bomb exploded in a residential area of southern Moscow, marking another high-profile assassination amid ongoing international efforts to end the Ukraine war.
Lieutenant General Fanil Sarvarov, 56, head of the Russian General Staff’s training department, died after an explosive device planted beneath his parked vehicle detonated. The blast occurred only hours after Russian and Ukrainian representatives held separate discussions in Miami regarding a proposed roadmap to end the conflict.
Russian investigators said they were examining multiple angles, including the possibility that Ukrainian special services were involved. Kyiv has not issued any official comment on the incident.
The attack mirrors previous targeted killings of Russian generals and pro-war figures, many of which have either been claimed by Ukraine or widely attributed to it.
AFP journalists at the scene reported that the white Kia SUV was completely wrecked, with its doors torn off and rear window shattered. The vehicle’s frame was twisted and scorched by the explosion. Security forces sealed off the area as investigators collected evidence, while residents described hearing a powerful blast.
Local resident Tatiana, 74, said the explosion came as a shock. Another resident, Grigory, 70, said the windows shook violently, adding that such incidents were now part of the cost of war.
Sarvarov had served in several major military campaigns, including operations in Chechnya during the 1990s and command duties in Syria between 2015 and 2016, according to Russia’s defence ministry.
The Kremlin confirmed that President Vladimir Putin had been briefed on the killing. The incident followed three days of negotiations in Miami, as the United States stepped up diplomatic efforts to bring an end to the nearly four-year conflict.
Ukrainian negotiator Rustem Umerov and US special envoy Steve Witkoff described the talks as showing progress, while Russian envoy Kirill Dmitriev also held meetings with the US delegation, which included Jared Kushner.
Despite these developments, Ukraine has expressed concern over proposals that would require major concessions, including surrendering the eastern Donbas region. President Volodymyr Zelensky has voiced doubts about Russia’s willingness to genuinely pursue peace.
Since the invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, several Russian military officials and pro-Kremlin figures have been killed in targeted attacks, including senior generals and prominent commentators.
