Deadly Moscow 'Car Bomb' Targets Russian General in Escalating Attacks on Officers

A Russian general has been killed in a 'car bomb' explosion in southern Moscow on Monday, marking the latest in a series of targeted attacks on senior military officers amid heightened security concerns.

A lethal improvised explosive device, reportedly planted beneath the bottom of the chassis under the driver's seat of Sarvarov's white Kia Sorento, detonated as he began his morning commute.

The explosion occurred on 22 December 2025 and took place in a residential car parking area on Yasenevaya Street in southern Moscow's Orekhovo-Borisovo Yuzhnoye district.

Russian investigators have launched a high-priority criminal probe into the 'premeditated murder,' with the Investigative Committee of Russia pointing the finger directly at Ukrainian intelligence services.

The official spokesperson stated that the device was likely detonated remotely or via a pressure-sensitive trigger as the vehicle moved.

While Kyiv has not officially claimed responsibility, the strike bears the hallmarks of a series of 'precision eliminations' that have plagued Russian officials throughout 2025.

Lieutenant General Sarvarov, who oversaw combat readiness and training for troops deployed in Ukraine, had previously served in both Chechen wars and Russia's military intervention in Syria between 2015 and 2016.

Kremlin has confirmed that President Vladimir Putin was immediately briefed on the assassination, which occurred as the capital was already on high alert.

A Pattern of Targeted Eliminations

Recently, in April 2025, Lieutenant General Yaroslav Moskalik perished in a similar car bombing, just east of Moscow. Earlier, Lieutenant General Igor Kirillov, the chief of Russia's nuclear and chemical protection forces, was killed by a bomb hidden on an electric scooter. These incidents have specifically targeted officers born in the late 1960s with extensive experience in the North Caucasus, suggesting a systematic culling of the 'old guard' of the General Staff.

The recurring security breaches suggest a deep infiltration of Moscow's suburbs by hostile operatives, sources said, adding that the targeting of officers within the General Staff and those responsible for the strategic planning and training of the ongoing invasion is intended to demoralise the upper echelons of the military.

Report stated that the precision required to plant an IED in a secure residential area in the capital indicates a level of local intelligence that has repeatedly embarrassed the Federal Security Service (FSB), prompting calls from hardline Russian lawmakers like Andrey Kolesnik of the Duma's defence committee for 'total retribution' against suspected 'terrorist cells.'

Forensic of the Blast

The device used on Yasenevaya Street was a 'directed-action' explosive, designed to focus the blast upwards through the chassis of the vehicle. Images from the scene showed the Kia Sorento with its front section shredded and the driver's side door nearly detached, a testament to the potency of the homemade device. Forensic experts noted that the blast was large enough to be felt inside apartments on the 10th floor of adjacent buildings.

Witnesses reported a 'deafening roar' that shattered windows in nearby apartment blocks, followed by the sight of emergency services attempting to extract the General from the wreckage.

Sarvarov reportedly died from his injuries shortly after arriving at a local trauma centre, having suffered severe lower-body trauma and shrapnel wounds.

There is growing concern among the public in Moscow that the war, long framed by the Kremlin as a distant 'special military operation,' has firmly moved into the courtyards of the Russian capital.

Geopolitical Fallout and Escalation

The timing of Sarvarov's death is particularly sensitive as diplomatic tensions between Moscow and the West reach a fever pitch over stalled peace negotiations. The assassination occurred just hours before a scheduled high-level meeting between Russian and Western officials in Florida aimed at discussing potential ceasefire terms.

Members of the defence committee have argued that the assassination should be met with intensified missile strikes against 'decision-making centres' in Kyiv.

As the Russian General Staff mourns another high-ranking loss, the focus remains on the visible cracks in Moscow's internal security.

For the Russian military elite, the front lines are no longer confined to the trenches of the Donbas; they now extend to the residential streets of their own capital, where the simple act of starting a car has become a life-threatening risk.