Three individuals, including two police officers, lost their lives in an explosion in Moscow on Wednesday, according to Russian investigators. This incident occurred just days after a car bomb killed Lt. Gen. Fanil Sarvarov, a high-ranking general, in the same vicinity. The Investigative Committee spokesperson, Svetlana Petrenko, confirmed that the officers were approaching a “suspicious individual” when the explosive device detonated.
The explosion resulted in the immediate deaths of the two traffic police officers and a bystander. Investigators and forensic experts are currently examining the scene to gather evidence and determine the specifics of the incident. The event has heightened tensions in the capital, following the earlier assassination of Sarvarov, who served as the head of the Operational Training Directorate of the Russian Armed Forces’ General Staff.
On Monday, March 11, 2024, Sarvarov was killed when an explosive device detonated under his vehicle in southern Moscow. Investigators have suggested that Ukraine may be behind this attack, which marks the third killing of a senior military officer in just over a year.
Earlier, on December 17, 2024, Lt. Gen. Igor Kirillov, the chief of the military’s nuclear, biological, and chemical protection forces, was murdered by a bomb hidden on an electric scooter outside his apartment building. Following that incident, an Uzbek man was arrested and charged with orchestrating the attack on behalf of the Ukrainian security service.
In April 2024, another senior military officer, Lt. Gen. Yaroslav Moskalik, who was a deputy head of the main operational department in the General Staff, was killed by an explosive device placed in his car parked near his residence just outside Moscow. A suspect was swiftly apprehended following that attack.
Since Russia’s military involvement in Ukraine began nearly four years ago, authorities have accused Ukraine of being responsible for multiple assassinations of military leaders and public figures within Russia. While Ukraine has claimed responsibility for some of these actions, the ongoing conflict continues to escalate tensions between the neighboring nations.
The recent events in Moscow, particularly the deaths of high-ranking military officials, highlight the fraught security situation in the capital. As investigations continue, the implications of these attacks on Russian military operations and national security are likely to unfold in the coming days.