An explosion in southern Moscow has killed three people, including two traffic police officers, Russian authorities said, deepening security concerns following a recent deadly car bombing that killed a senior military official in the capital.
Russia’s Investigative Committee said the blast occurred on Yeletskaya Street after officers approached a man they considered suspicious near a police vehicle. An explosive device was detonated as police attempted to detain the individual.
According to investigators, the two officers died from their injuries at the scene, along with a third person who was nearby at the time of the explosion. Authorities have opened a criminal case into what they described as an attempted attack on law enforcement officers.
Russian media identified the officers as Ilya Klimanov, 24, and Maxim Gorbunov, 25. Investigators have not disclosed further details about the suspect or the type of explosive used.
The explosion occurred close to the site where Lieutenant General Fanil Sarvarov was killed earlier this week in a car bombing. Sarvarov, 56, headed the Russian armed forces’ operational training department and was killed when an explosive device planted beneath a vehicle detonated.
Russia has accused Ukraine of being behind that attack, though Kyiv has neither confirmed nor denied involvement. Authorities have not said whether the two incidents are connected.
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Investigative Committee spokesperson Svetlana Petrenko said in a statement posted on Telegram that a criminal case had been opened and that investigators were carefully reconstructing the sequence of events leading up to the explosion. She said forensic teams were analyzing the blast site, including debris from the explosive device, while investigators reviewed surveillance footage and gathered witness statements to identify those responsible and determine whether the attack was planned or carried out by a wider network.
The killing of Lieutenant General Fanil Sarvarov earlier this week marked the third time a senior Russian military official has been killed in a bombing in Moscow over the past year. The series of attacks has heightened concerns among Russian authorities about targeted violence in the capital, particularly as the war in Ukraine continues and security risks appear to be increasingly extending beyond the front lines into major cities.
Security measures across the capital have been heightened in recent months, though authorities have offered no indication of whether further arrests are imminent.