A car explosion killed Lieutenant General Fanil Sarvarov, a senior Russian military officer, in Moscow early on 22 December 2025, according to Russian official and unofficial reports. The blast took place just moments after the general entered his vehicle and began driving near his residence on Yaseneva Street of the Russian capital.
General killed as car explodes near Moscow home
According to Russian pro-Kremlin Telegram channel Shot, residents of the Orekhovo-Borisovo neighborhood were jolted by a powerful explosion around 6:50 a.m. local time (5:50 Kyiv time). Thick black smoke and a blazing fire rose from the courtyard, where a Kia Sorento had blown apart. Emergency crews responded quickly, with rescuers initially attempting to extract the injured driver from the heavily damaged SUV.
Shot initially claimed that at least one person was injured — presumably the driver — who allegedly suffered a severe concussion. Shot reported that the explosion occurred seconds after the driver entered the car and began to drive.
In a later report, Russia's Investigative Committee confirmed that an explosive device had been planted beneath the vehicle and detonated once it was in motion.
"As a result of the injuries he sustained, Lieutenant General Fanil Sarvarov, head of the Main Operational Training Directorate of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation, died," the Committee wrote.
Militarnyi noted that Sarvarov, 56, suffered multiple shrapnel wounds, fractured bones, and facial injuries. He was hospitalized in critical condition but died from his injuries, Militarnyi reported.
Russia opens criminal case as investigators cite “Ukrainian link” theory
Russia’s Investigative Committee stated that it opened a criminal case for murder committed in a way dangerous to the public and for the illegal handling of explosives. According to its spokesperson Svetlana Petrenko, the general died from injuries caused by a device placed under the vehicle.
The committee claimed that it is exploring several theories, including one involving Ukrainian intelligence services. It also announced that expert investigators from its central apparatus were deployed to assist in the case. Witnesses were reportedly being questioned, video surveillance footage was being reviewed, and forensic tests were ordered.
Sarvarov’s war record spans Chechnya, Syria, and Ukraine
Militarnyi detailed Sarvarov’s career, stating that he was born on 11 March 1969 in the city of Gremyachinsk, Perm oblast. He graduated from the Kazan Higher Tank Command School in 1990 and later studied at the Academy of Armored Forces and the Military Academy of the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces.
- He took part in combat operations in the North Caucasus between 1992 and 2003, including the Ossetian-Ingush conflict and both Chechen wars.
- Between 2015 and 2016, he was involved in Russia’s military campaign in Syria.
- At the time of his death, Sarvarov headed the Main Operational Training Directorate of the Russian General Staff, responsible for organizing military readiness.
