Russian general killed in car bomb in southern Moscow

A Russian general was killed on Monday morning when a bomb exploded beneath his car. Local investigators say that Ukraine may be behind the attack.

Russian media reported that a car exploded in a parking lot in southern Moscow at about 7 am.

“We have opened a criminal case in connection with a car bombing in Moscow, that killed the head of the Operational Training Directorate of the Russian Armed Forces' General Staff - Lt. Gen. Fanil Sarvarov," Svetlana Petrenko, spokesperson for Russia’s Investigative Committee, said on Monday.

Russia's Defence Ministry said that Sarvarov had fought in Chechnya and taken part in Moscow's military campaign in Syria.

"Investigators are pursuing numerous lines of enquiry regarding the murder. One of these is that the crime was orchestrated by Ukrainian intelligence services," Petrenko said.

Ukraine claimed responsibility for a similar attack against a senior Russian soldier last December.

In April, another senior Russian military official was killed in a car bomb outside’s apartment in Moscow.

The Kremlin has blamed Ukraine for other bombings and attacks across Russia.