A senior Russian military official has died after a car bomb exploded in southern Moscow, according to Russian authorities.
The incident adds to a series of targeted attacks against military and high-profile figures in the Russian capital over the past year.
Investigators said Lieutenant General Fanil Sarvarov was injured when an explosive device planted under his vehicle detonated on Monday morning.
He later died in hospital from his injuries, officials said.
Sarvarov was 56 and served as head of the armed forces’ operational training department.
The explosion occurred in a car park near an apartment building in the south of Moscow.
Images from the scene showed a heavily damaged white Kia Sorento with doors blown out and nearby vehicles affected.
Russian President Vladimir Putin was informed of the death shortly after the incident, the Kremlin said.
Russia’s Investigative Committee said it had opened a criminal case into murder and the illegal trafficking of explosives.
Officials said investigators and forensic teams were working at the scene to establish how the device was planted and detonated.
One line of inquiry is examining the possible involvement of Ukrainian intelligence services, the committee said.
Ukraine has not commented on the allegation.
“An explosive device was activated on Yasenevaya Street in Moscow. Fanil Sarvarov, head of the general staff’s operational training directorate, has died of injuries from the explosion,” Investigative Committee spokesperson Svetlana Petrenko said, according to state media.
Authorities said several possible motives were being considered as part of the investigation.
The killing marks the third bomb attack targeting a senior military official in Moscow within the past year.
Recent attacks have raised concerns within Russia’s security services about internal vulnerabilities.
Sarvarov held senior command roles throughout a lengthy military career, according to Russian media.
He previously took part in combat operations during the Ossetian-Ingush conflict and the Chechen wars of the 1990s and early 2000s.
Between 2015 and 2016, he was involved in planning and leading Russian military operations in Syria.
Since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, several military officials and prominent figures have been killed in targeted attacks.
In April last year, General Yaroslav Moskalik was killed in a car bomb attack in Moscow.
In December 2024, General Igor Kirillov died when a device hidden in a scooter was detonated remotely.
A Ukrainian source later told the BBC that Kirillov was killed by Ukraine’s security service, though this was not confirmed on the record.
Ukraine has a stated policy of neither confirming nor denying responsibility for such operations.