Ukraine's Military Intelligence Bombs Moscow Car, Killing Three Including Two Police Officers

A car explosion in southern Moscow on Dec. 24 killed three people, including two traffic police officers.

“Russian television showed a large police cordon around the site of a bombing that occurred near the location where General Sarvarov — head of the operational training department of the Russian General Staff — was killed earlier on Monday by an explosive device placed under his car”

Al Jazeera

Investigators and multiple outlets reported that an explosive device detonated as officers approached a 'suspicious individual' beside a patrol car on Yeletskaya Street.

Al Jazeera

Witnesses placed the blast at about 1:30 a.m.

Authorities cordoned off the scene, reviewed CCTV footage, and reopened a criminal probe.

Several sources described the immediate facts similarly, noting the location, timing, and that officers were approaching a suspicious person when the device exploded.

Russian officials and multiple outlets identified the victims as two young traffic police lieutenants and a nearby bystander or the vehicle’s driver.

Some sources named the officers as Ilya Klimanov, 24, and Maxim Gorbunov, 25, noting personal details such as Gorbunov leaving a nine-month-old daughter.

Al Jazeera

Reports differ slightly on whether the third dead was the vehicle’s driver, a bystander, or the suspect, and state media and some outlets said the suspect also died.

Coverage ranges from family details and emotional framing in local and tabloid outlets to reporting that sticks to official investigator statements.

Investigators opened criminal cases covering attempts on law-enforcement officers and illegal trafficking of explosives.

“A blast in Russia on Wednesday adds to a series of security incidents as the war with Ukraine nears its fourth year”

albawaba

Russian authorities said they are probing multiple lines of inquiry, including a possible link to a separate car bombing earlier in the week that killed Lieutenant General Fanil Sarvarov.

Some outlets note Moscow's official statements blaming Ukrainian intelligence for prior attacks.

Others caution there is no direct evidence linking Kyiv to this newest blast and say Kyiv has not commented publicly.

Analysts and several outlets place the blast amid a string of targeted killings and sabotage-linked explosions over recent months and years, framing it as part of covert actions tied to the Russia-Ukraine war.

Reports cite earlier high-profile incidents, including the December killing of Lt. Gen. Igor Kirillov by an explosive hidden in an e-scooter and the April car-bomb killing of Gen. Yaroslav Moskalik.

Apa.az

These incidents are presented as evidence of a pattern of cross-border or domestic assassinations that both sides have either carried out or accused the other of conducting.

Mainstream outlets generally present official investigator statements and use cautious language about attribution.

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BBC

Regional West Asian outlets place the blast within the broader war timeline.

BBC

Western alternative and tabloid outlets sometimes highlight dramatic claims or attribute responsibility by name.

Several reports explicitly note unresolved elements, such as whether the incidents are linked and whether credible evidence supports accusations against Ukrainian intelligence.

Across coverage, basic facts like time, place, and casualties are consistent, but responsibility and motive remain disputed or unclear.