The bombed car that killed Lieutenant General Fanil Sarvarov, in Moscow, on December 22, 2025 (photo released by Russian authorities). AFP PHOTO / RUSSIAN INVESTIGATIVE COMMITTEE
The news did not appear in the Russian Ministry of Defense's official Monday, December 22, daily briefing. On social media platforms, however, Russian military channels were, from the early morning, among the first to report the latest blow to the Russian military and to the Kremlin: Lieutenant General Fanil Sarvarov, a member of the general staff in charge of the operational training department, was killed when his car exploded, in one of Moscow's southern districts. "He succumbed to his injuries," the investigative committee simply announced, before swiftly adding that it was investigating the possibility that the incident had been a terrorist attack by "Ukrainian special services."
On Monday morning, Sarvarov, 56, was driving his Kia Sorento. The car exploded as he started the engine. The lieutenant general, seriously wounded, died at the hospital shortly thereafter. According to preliminary findings from the investigation, an improvised explosive device had been placed under the vehicle, near the driver's seat.
