MOSCOW – A Russian general tragically lost his life on Monday morning when a bomb exploded beneath his vehicle in Moscow. Investigators are considering the possibility that Ukraine might be involved in this incident, marking the third assassination of a senior Russian military official within a year.

Lt. Gen. Fanil Sarvarov, who led the Operational Training Directorate within the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces, succumbed to his injuries following the explosion. This was confirmed by Svetlana Petrenko, the spokesperson for Russia’s Investigative Committee, the country’s premier criminal investigative body.

Petrenko stated, “Our investigators are exploring several possible motives behind this murder, including the involvement of Ukrainian intelligence services.”

Just a little over a year ago, on December 17, 2024, Lt. Gen. Igor Kirillov, head of the military’s nuclear, biological, and chemical protection forces, was killed by a hidden bomb on an electric scooter near his residence. Kirillov’s assistant also perished in the blast. The Ukrainian security service later took responsibility for the attack.

An Uzbek national was swiftly apprehended and charged with carrying out Kirillov’s murder on behalf of the Ukrainian security service.

Russian President Vladimir Putin described Kirillov’s killing as a “major blunder” by Russia’s security agencies, noting they should learn from it and improve their efficiency.

But in April. another senior Russian military officer, Lt. Gen. Yaroslav Moskalik, a deputy head of the main operational department in the General Staff, was killed by an explosive device placed in his car parked near to his apartment building just outside Moscow. A suspected perpetrator was quickly arrested.

Moscow also has blamed Ukraine fo r several bombings and other attacks in Russia.