Assassinated: Head of Russian Operational Training Directorate killed in car bomb explosion

MOSCOW: A senior military officer of Russia was killed in a car bomb explosion. Lieutenant General Fanil Sarvarov (56) was killed. Fanil Sarvarov was the head of the Operational Training Directorate of the Russian General Staff. He was a decorated officer who had previously served in Chechnya and Syria.

The explosion occurred around 7 a.m. Moscow time in a parking lot on Yasneva Street. The explosive device planted in Fanil Sarvarov's own car exploded. An improvised explosive device (IED) was planted under his Kia Sorento vehicle and detonated shortly after he got in and started driving. The blast riddled his body with shrapnel and damaged several nearby cars. Sarvarov was taken to the hospital with serious injuries, but his life could not be saved. Russian security agencies have opened a criminal investigation into the murder, with one of the main theories being the involvement of Ukrainian intelligence services. However, Ukraine has not yet responded.