Image: from Jürgen Nauditt X@jurgen_nauditt
By Open Chronicle Staff with Agencies | December 22, 2025
MOSCOW — In a major security breach in the heart of the Russian capital, Lieutenant General Fanil Sarvarov, a high-ranking official within the General Staff, was killed early Monday morning when an explosive device detonated beneath his vehicle. The attack marks the third high-profile assassination of a senior Russian military figure in the past year, underscoring the persistent vulnerability of the Kremlin’s elite.
General Sarvarov, 56, served as the head of the Operational Training Directorate of the Russian Armed Forces. He was reportedly traveling in a white Kia Sorento in Moscow’s southern Yasenevo district around 7:00 a.m. when the blast occurred.
Details of the Attack
According to Russia’s Investigative Committee, the explosive was planted on the underside of the vehicle and triggered shortly after Sarvarov began his morning commute. Witnesses reported a massive explosion that shattered windows and damaged at least seven nearby cars in a residential parking area.
Investigators confirmed that Sarvarov suffered catastrophic shrapnel injuries and a fractured facial bone. Despite frantic efforts by bystanders and emergency crews to free him from the wreckage, the general succumbed to his wounds at a local hospital.
“Investigators are pursuing numerous lines of inquiry regarding the murder. One of these is that the crime was orchestrated by Ukrainian intelligence services,” said Svetlana Petrenko, spokesperson for the Investigative Committee.
A Pattern of “Liquidation”
Sarvarov’s death follows a series of sophisticated hits on top-tier Russian military leadership:
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December 2024: Lt.-Gen. Igor Kirillov, head of the chemical and biological defense troops, was killed by a bomb hidden on an electric scooter.
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April 2025: Maj.-Gen. Yaroslav Moskalik, a deputy in the General Staff, died when a vehicle detonated near his residence.
| Officer Killed | Role | Date of Assassination | Method |
| Lt.-Gen. Igor Kirillov | Chief of NBC Defense | Dec 17, 2024 | Electric Scooter Bomb |
| Maj.-Gen. Yaroslav Moskalik | Deputy, General Staff | April 2025 | Car Bomb |
| Lt.-Gen. Fanil Sarvarov | Head of Training, General Staff | Dec 22, 2025 | Under-car IED |
Strategic Impact
As the head of the Operational Training Directorate, Sarvarov was a central figure in preparing Russian troops for the ongoing war in Ukraine. A veteran of both Chechen wars and the Russian intervention in Syria, he was considered one of the General Staff’s most experienced operational minds.
The Kremlin confirmed that President Vladimir Putin was immediately briefed on the killing. In the Duma, officials have already called for a “merciless” response, with Andrey Kolesnik of the defense committee suggesting that those responsible should be “simply destroyed on the spot.”