“A bomb placed under the chassis of a car was detonated on the morning of December 22 (…) in Moscow and Gen. Fanil Sarvarov, head of the Operational Training Department of the Russian General Staff, died from his injuries.” Shortly before, it became known that a car had exploded in the courtyard of a building in the south of Moscow.
300 grams of TNT connected to the brake
The explosive power of the homemade bomb that killed General Fanil Sarvarov in Moscow this morning was equivalent to approximately 300 grams of TNT. Two law enforcement sources reported this to the Rbk agency.
The Moscow prosecutor’s office, which took control of the investigation, reported that the device had been placed with a magnet on the underbody of Sarvarov’s Kia Sorento, near the driver’s seat. The Tass agency reports that the explosion occurred when the driver applied the brake.
The Ukrainian hypothesis
Russian investigators, Tass writes, are evaluating various theories about the murder, according to one of which “the attack was organized by the Ukrainian special services”. Investigations are underway at the site of the explosion. “Eyewitnesses are being questioned and CCTV footage is being examined,” Investigative Committee spokeswoman Petrenko said.
The killed soldier, Fanil Sarvarov, 56, director of the operational training department of the Army General Staff, had received the rank of lieutenant general from the president himself, Vladimir Putin, in May 2024, Tass recalls.
Moscow slows down on the three-way summit but opens up to Macron. Witkoff: ‘Russia committed to peace’
“Russia remains fully committed to achieving peace in Ukraine.” Donald Trump’s special envoy, Steve Witkoff, said this at the end of the weekend meetings in Miami. “Russia greatly appreciates the efforts and support of the United States to resolve the Ukrainian conflict and restore global security,” the official added, without specifying whether there had been any progress in the talks.
Meanwhile, the special envoy of Russian President Vladimir Putin and CEO of the Russian Direct Investment Fund (RDIF), Kirill Dmitriev, has hinted that the next meeting between the Russian and US delegations on Ukraine could take place in Moscow.
“Thank you, Miami. Next time: Moscow,” Dmitriev wrote on his X page, accompanying the post with a photo of himself wearing a T-shirt bearing the words ‘Next time Moscow’ and Putin’s signature. On August 15 in Alaska the Russian leader had suggested in English to his US counterpart Donald Trump that the next meeting would be held in Moscow: in a joint press conference to summarize the results of the Anchorage summit the US president had declared that he looked forward to seeing the Russian leader again soon; “Next time in Moscow?”, Putin replied with a smile.
Dmitriev concluded two days of talks with the United States on Ukraine last night and left Miami.