Moscow: A senior Russian general was killed in a car explosion in Moscow on Monday, the country's Investigative Committee said. The committee stated on Telegram that Lt. Gen. Fanil Sarvarov, head of the Russian General Staff's Operational Training Department, succumbed to injuries from the blast.

According to Anadolu Agency, investigators reported that on the morning of Dec. 22, an explosive device placed under a car detonated on Yasenevaya Street in Moscow. A criminal case has been opened as investigations continue in Moscow.

Investigators are exploring various theories regarding the murder, including suspicions that Ukrainian intelligence services orchestrated the crime. Ukrainian authorities have yet to comment on the allegation.

In a related incident from April, another senior military officer, Lt. Gen. Yaroslav Moskalik, was killed in a car explosion in the Moscow region, a case Russia attributed to Ukraine's Security Service. Kyiv has neither confirmed nor denied any involvement in the incident.

In December of the previous year, Lt. Gen. Igor Kirillov, chief of Russia's Radiation, Chemical and Biological Protection Defense Troops, also died in an explosion in Moscow. Multiple Ukrainian media outlets, including state news agency Ukrinform, reported that Kirillov's death resulted from a "special operation" by Ukraine's Security Service.