Moscow Street Explosion Kills Three, Ukraine’s Military Intelligence Claims Responsibility
Updated (9 articles)
Explosion on Yeletskaya Street Claims Three Lives On December 24 2025 a concealed explosive detonated as two traffic police officers approached a suspicious man near a police car on Yeletskaya Street, killing officers Lt. Ilya Klimanov (24) and Lt. Maxim Gorbunov (25) and a third individual identified as the suspect [1][2][3]. The blast occurred in the same south‑Moscow district where Lt. Gen. Fanil Sarvarov was killed two days earlier, prompting speculation about a coordinated campaign [1][2][4]. Witnesses reported the assailant threw an explosive package through a car window before the explosion [2].
Criminal Investigation Launched and Evidence Gathered Moscow’s Investigative Committee opened a criminal case for an attempted murder of traffic police officers, assigning investigators to review CCTV footage and interview witnesses [2][3]. Forensic experts are examining the blast site, and officials confirmed the suspect also perished in the explosion [3]. The committee has not publicly linked the two incidents, but both are being treated as separate attacks pending further evidence [3][4].
Conflicting Attribution Claims from Ukrainian Sources A Ukrainian military intelligence official told the Associated Press that the operation was orchestrated by Ukraine’s intelligence services [1]. Ukraine’s HUR, cited by the BBC, described the attacker as a local resident acting against Kremlin policy, without an official claim of responsibility [2]. CNN reported that Ukraine has not claimed the attack, noting only that similar killings have been blamed on Ukrainian services since 2022 [3]. These differing statements illustrate the lack of a unified Ukrainian position on the December 24 blast.
Attack Occurs Amid Ongoing Pattern of High‑Profile Bombings The explosion follows the December 22 car bomb that killed Lt. Gen. Fanil Sarvarov, a senior officer of the General Staff’s Operational Training Directorate, an incident Russia is investigating for possible Ukrainian involvement [4][5][6][7][8][9]. Russian officials, including Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov, confirmed President Vladimir Putin was immediately informed of Sarvarov’s death [6][7]. The clustering of attacks on senior military figures and law‑enforcement officers underscores a broader security narrative linking recent Moscow bombings to the Ukraine‑Russia conflict.
Sources
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AP: Moscow explosion kills three as Ukraine's military intelligence links to attack: Reports three fatalities, names the police officers, and cites a Ukrainian military intelligence claim of responsibility .
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BBC: Three killed in Moscow explosion on Yeletskaya Street, including two traffic police officers: Details the officers’ identities, describes the suspect’s actions, and notes a criminal case opened by Russian investigators .
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CNN: Moscow blast kills two police officers days after general's assassination: Highlights the proximity to Sarvarov’s car bomb, outlines investigative steps, and states Ukraine has not claimed the police blast .
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AP: Car bomb kills Russian general in Moscow; Ukraine may be behind attack: Covers Sarvarov’s death, mentions possible Ukrainian intelligence involvement, and places the event within a pattern of similar killings .
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AP: Car bombing kills Russian general in Moscow; Russia ties attack to broader pattern of Ukrainian assassinations: Links Sarvarov’s killing to a series of alleged Ukrainian‑linked attacks on Russian officials over the past year .
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BBC: Russian Lt Gen Fanil Sarvarov killed in Moscow car bombing as Ukrainian link investigated: Confirms Sarvarov’s death, notes investigation of Ukrainian involvement, and emphasizes the third Moscow bombing of a military official in a year .
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CNN: Russian General Fanil Sarvarov killed in Moscow car bombing as Ukraine-linked motive is investigated: Reports the car bomb, outlines the Ukrainian special services theory, and situates the incident within a broader pattern of Moscow killings .
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Newsweek: Russian General Killed in Moscow Car Bomb; Ukraine Suspected: Describes Sarvarov’s killing, notes investigators pursuing Ukrainian intelligence as a motive, and mentions ongoing peace talks that could be affected .
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The Hindu: Russian general killed in Moscow car bomb as investigators probe Ukrainian link: Details Sarvarov’s death, outlines multiple investigative leads including a Ukrainian link, and provides historical context of similar attacks .
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Timeline
Feb 2022 – Russia launches a full‑scale invasion of Ukraine, a backdrop that later frames a series of high‑profile attacks on Russian officials in Moscow and fuels Moscow’s narrative that Kyiv orchestrates a “Ukrainian‑linked campaign” of assassinations [3].
Aug 2022 – Darya Dugina, a prominent pro‑Kremlin activist, dies when a remote‑controlled bomb explodes in her SUV on Moscow’s outskirts; Russia’s FSB publicly identifies two Ukrainian suspects, though Kyiv denies involvement [8].
Apr 2023 – Military blogger Maxim Fomin (known as “Tatarsky”) is killed by a bomb in a St. Petersburg café; a Russian court later convicts Darya Trepova, who testifies she did not know the gift contained an explosive [8].
May 2023 – Writer Zakhar Prilepin narrowly escapes a car bomb in Nizhny Novgorod; a Ukrainian national is later sentenced to life imprisonment by a Russian court for carrying out the attack [8].
Apr 2024 – Lt. Gen. Yaroslav Moskalik, deputy head of the General Staff’s main operational department, is killed by a car bomb near his Moscow‑area apartment; Russian investigators quickly arrest a suspected perpetrator [5].
Dec 2024 – Lt. Gen. Igor Kirillov, head of Russia’s nuclear, biological and chemical protection forces, dies when a bomb hidden on an electric scooter detonates outside a Moscow apartment building; the Ukrainian Security Service (SBU) claims responsibility and an Uzbek man is arrested [8].
Dec 2024 – Ukraine’s security services publicly claim responsibility for a separate car‑bomb attack on a senior Russian soldier, underscoring Kyiv’s willingness to target high‑ranking officers [5].
Dec 22, 2025 – Lt. Gen. Fanil Sarvarov, head of the Armed Forces’ Operational Training Directorate, dies after a bomb explodes under his car in a south‑Moscow parking lot; investigators open a murder and illegal‑explosives case and pursue “numerous lines of inquiry, including the possibility of Ukrainian intelligence involvement,” while Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov says President Vladimir Putin is immediately informed [2][4][7][9].
Dec 24, 2025 – Two traffic police officers, Lt. Ilya Klimanov (24) and Lt. Maxim Gorbunov (25), are killed when a suspicious man throws an explosive package into their police car on Yeletskaya Street; a third person, identified as the suspect, also dies [1][3][6].
Dec 24, 2025 – Investigative Committee spokesperson Svetlana Petrenko states, “A criminal case is underway in Moscow concerning an attempt on the lives of traffic police officers,” and adds that investigators are reviewing CCTV footage and forensic evidence [1][3][6].
Dec 2025 (ongoing) – A Ukrainian military‑intelligence official tells the Associated Press that the police‑officer blast “is part of an agency operation,” linking the attack to Kyiv’s broader anti‑Kremlin strategy [6].
Dec 2025 (ongoing) – The police‑officer explosion occurs in the same district where Sarvarov was killed earlier in the week, reinforcing Moscow’s narrative of a coordinated “Ukrainian‑linked campaign” of assassinations in the capital [6][1].
2025 (through Dec) – U.S.‑brokered indirect peace negotiations between Russia and Ukraine continue, with Kyiv seeking leverage by pressing sanctions and targeting Russian energy infrastructure, while the recent Moscow attacks risk complicating diplomatic progress [5].