A general has been killed in Moscow following a series of killings Russia blames on Ukraine

Russia has accused Ukraine of carrying out several high-profile attacks against prominent Russians since Moscow attacked its neighbor nearly four years ago.

While Kiev has hinted at its involvement in some cases, Ukrainian officials have largely stopped short of publicly claiming responsibility. In other cases, they have denied all involvement.

On Monday, a Russian general was killed by a car bomb in Moscow, and investigators said they were looking into whether Ukraine was behind the attack. Ukraine has not yet commented on the death of Lt. Gen. Fanil Sarvarov.

Other attacks Russia has blamed on Ukraine include:

Lieutenant General Igor Kirillov

In December 2024, Kirillov, the head of the military’s nuclear, biological and chemical protection forces, was killed, along with his deputy, Ilya Polikarpov, when a bomb on a scooter exploded outside a Moscow apartment building.

Kirillov was accused in absentia a day earlier by Ukraine’s security service, the SBU, of “ordering the use of banned chemical weapons against the defense forces of Ukraine.” The SBU later claimed responsibility for the attack. An Uzbek man was immediately arrested and charged with murdering Kirillov on behalf of the security services.

Lieutenant General Yaroslav Moskalik

Moskalik, deputy chief of the General Staff’s Main Operations Department, was assassinated in April 2025. A bomb was placed under his car, which was parked near his apartment building outside Moscow.

Days after the attack, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said in a statement that the country’s foreign intelligence service had informed him of the “elimination of senior command personnel of the Russian Armed Forces” but did not elaborate.

A Russian man formerly living in Ukraine pleaded guilty to the attack and said he was paid by Ukraine’s security services.

Stanislav Rzhitsky

Razitsky, a former submarine commander, was shot dead in July 2023 while jogging in Krasnodar, Russia.

Ukrainian media reported that Rzhitsky was one of six submarine commanders who were able to launch long-range missiles that struck Ukraine’s Vinnytsia a year ago, killing 23 people and injuring more than 100.

When he died, Rzhitsky was the deputy head of a military operations office in Krasnodar.

Kirill Budanov, head of the Ukrainian Defense Ministry’s Main Intelligence Directorate, denied Kiev’s involvement in the death. However, the agency also released details of the killings, including the time of the attack and the number of shots fired. A dual Russian-Ukrainian citizen was convicted of the murder in October 2024.

Zakhar Prilepin

Prilepin, a nationalist Russian writer, escaped death in a car bomb explosion in the Nizhny Novgorod region of Russia in May 2023. His driver was killed, while Prilepin was hospitalized with broken bones, a bruised lung and other injuries.

Prilepin, known for his support of the war, was sanctioned by the European Union.

A Ukrainian was convicted and sentenced to life in prison by a Russian court for the attack. Russia’s Investigative Committee has accused him of acting at the behest of Kiev.

In an interview with Ukrainian journalists in March 2024, SBU chief Lt. Gen. Vasyl Malik denied taking responsibility for the attack, but said he could provide some details, such as Prilepin’s injuries.

Vladlen Tatarsky

Tatarsky, a military blogger, was killed in April 2023 when a bomb exploded at a cafe in St. Petersburg where he was speaking.

Tatarsky supported the war in Ukraine and filed regular reports from the front for his Telegram followers.

Daria Trepova was convicted of the bombing and sentenced to 27 years in prison because she was seen on camera presenting Tatarsky with a small statue that exploded shortly after. Trepova said she did not know the bomb was in the gift.

In a March 2024 interview, SBU chief Maliuk also denied responsibility for Tatarsky’s death, but described the blogger as a mouthpiece for Russia who “paid the price of karma in front of the Ukrainian people.” He also gave details of the bomb that killed Tatarsky.

Ilia Cava

Kiva, a Ukrainian lawmaker who fled to Russia shortly after the full-scale attack, was found dead with a gunshot wound to the head near Moscow in December 2023.

A controversial political figure before the war in Ukraine, Kava often appeared on pro-Kremlin TV talk shows. A month before his death, a Ukrainian court found him guilty in absentia of treason and sentenced him to 14 years in prison.

Russia’s State Investigative Committee has accused a businessman of Armenian origin of passing details of Kavako’s movements to the SBU, state news agency Tass said. However, no charges have been laid in direct connection with the murder.

Ukraine’s military intelligence spokesman Andriy Yusov said after Kava’s death “the same fate will befall other traitors in Ukraine,” but did not say who was behind the killing.

Darya Dugina

Dugina was killed in August 2022 when a remote-controlled bomb planted in his SUV detonated while driving on the outskirts of Moscow.

His father, Alexander Dugin, was widely believed to have been the intended target. The philosopher, writer and political theorist is an ardent supporter of war.

Ukraine denied responsibility for the attack, with Zelensky saying Dugina was “not our responsibility” and that Kiev was “not interested in him”.

Russia’s federal security agency, the FSB, publicly identified two Ukrainian nationals as suspects, but said they had fled abroad.

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