Three individuals died in an explosion in southern Moscow on Wednesday, as confirmed by Russian investigators. Among the deceased are two police officers who were approaching a “suspicious individual” when the explosive device detonated. According to Svetlana Petrenko, spokesperson for the Investigative Committee, the officers and another nearby individual sustained fatal injuries from the blast.
This incident occurred just days after a car bomb killed Lt. Gen. Fanil Sarvarov, the head of the Operational Training Directorate of the Russian Armed Forces’ General Staff. Sarvarov died on the morning of October 16, 2023, when an explosive device detonated under his vehicle in the same vicinity.
Investigators are looking into potential links to Ukraine, suggesting that it may have been behind these attacks. The bombing of Sarvarov marks the third assassination of a senior Russian military officer in just over a year. On December 17, 2024, Lt. Gen. Igor Kirillov, who led the military’s nuclear, biological, and chemical protection forces, was killed by a bomb concealed on an electric scooter outside his apartment. That attack also resulted in the death of Kirillov’s assistant, with Ukraine’s security service claiming responsibility.
In a separate incident in April, 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. This attack occurred near his apartment building just outside Moscow, and a suspect was promptly arrested.
Since Russia’s military intervention in Ukraine nearly four years ago, Russian authorities have attributed several assassinations of military officers and public figures to Ukrainian operatives. While Ukraine has taken responsibility for some of these incidents, the ongoing conflict continues to escalate tensions between the two nations.
As forensic experts continue their investigation at the site of Wednesday’s explosion, the recent spate of violence reflects a troubling trend in the ongoing conflict. Russian officials remain on high alert as they navigate these dangerous developments amid heightened security concerns.
