A Russian general was killed on Monday after a bomb exploded under his car in Moscow, officials said.
Russian investigators said they were looking into whether Lieutenant General Vanil Sarvarov was assassinated by Ukrainian intelligence services.
NBC News asked the Ukrainian government to respond.
Sarvarov (56 years old) was head of the Operational Training Directorate of the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces.
Russian Investigative Committee spokeswoman Svetlana Petrenko said in a statement that on Monday morning, “an explosive device planted under a car exploded” on Yassenevaya Street, south of the city.
“Investigators are pursuing different theories regarding the murder,” Petrenko said. “One is that the crime was orchestrated by Ukrainian intelligence agencies.”
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters that Russian President Vladimir Putin was “immediately” informed of the incident.
If this is confirmed, this will not be the first time that Ukraine has carried out an assassination of a senior general deep inside Russia.
In April, it claimed responsibility for the killing of Lieutenant General Yaroslav Moskalyk in a car bomb explosion near the Russian capital. In December 2024, she said she was behind the death of Lieutenant General Igor Kirillov, head of Russia’s chemical, radiological and biological weapons unit.
In addition to high-profile assassinations, Ukraine has also demonstrated its ability to reach far into Russia to strike Kremlin warplanes and ships.
In June, Operation Spiderweb saw Ukraine launch swarms of drones at several Russian airports, destroying at least 10 aircraft and damaging dozens more. Kiev said this month that one of its drones shot down a Russian submarine in a Black Sea port, something Russia denied.
The general’s killing comes after a new round of talks was held over the weekend as President Donald Trump seeks to reach a peace agreement.
Peskov said Putin’s special envoy Kirill Dmitriev is scheduled to report to the Russian leader on Monday after his return from talks with members of Trump’s team in Miami.
Dmitriev said Saturday that the talks were “progressing constructively” with Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff and his son-in-law Jared Kushner.
Meanwhile, Witkov met separately with Ukrainian and European representatives, describing those discussions as “fruitful and constructive.”
Despite the positive words, the White House’s months-long push for peace has so far failed to bridge the gap between Moscow’s extreme demands and the grave concerns felt by Kiev and Europe.
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.