A deadly explosion in the Russian capital on Wednesday resulted in the deaths of three individuals, including two traffic police officers, according to Russian investigators. The incident occurred just days after a car bomb killed a high-ranking Russian general in the same area of Moscow.
Details of the Attack and Ukrainian Claim
Two officials from Ukraine's military intelligence agency, known as the GUR, informed The Associated Press that the attack was part of an agency operation. One official stated that the slain police officers had participated in Russia's war in Ukraine, though no specific details were provided. Both officials spoke on condition of anonymity as they were not authorized to discuss the matter publicly.
Russian authorities have not commented on potential perpetrators. Since the full-scale invasion began nearly four years ago, Moscow has repeatedly blamed Kyiv for assassinations of military officers and public figures on Russian soil. Ukraine has claimed responsibility for several of these operations.
How the Incident Unfolded
Russia's Investigative Committee spokesperson, Svetlana Petrenko, explained in a statement that the two traffic police officers were approaching a suspicious individual when an explosive device detonated. The blast killed both officers and another person standing nearby.
The Russian Interior Ministry identified the deceased officers as Lieutenant Ilya Klimanov, 24, who joined the Moscow police in October 2023, and Lieutenant Maxim Gorbunov, 25. The ministry noted that Gorbunov is survived by a wife and a nine-month-old daughter.
Context of Recent Attacks in Moscow
The explosion took place in the same district of Moscow where Lieutenant General Fanil Sarvarov, head of the Operational Training Directorate of the Russian Armed Forces' General Staff, was killed by a car bomb on Monday. Russian investigators are examining whether Ukraine was behind that attack, which marks the third killing of a senior military officer in just over a year. Ukraine has not commented on Sarvarov's death.
These events are part of a broader pattern. Ukraine, facing a larger and better-equipped Russian military, has frequently employed unconventional tactics to shift the war's dynamics. This includes a surprise incursion into Russia's Kursk region in August 2023 and coordinated drone strikes on bomber bases across Russia in June.
Moscow has attributed other assassinations to Ukraine, including the killing of Lieutenant General Igor Kirillov, chief of Russia's nuclear, biological, and chemical protection forces, by a bomb on an electric scooter over a year ago. In April, Lieutenant General Yaroslav Moskalik was killed by an explosive device planted in his car near Moscow. Following that incident, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy referenced reports on the "liquidation" of top Russian military figures, stating that "justice inevitably comes."
Meanwhile, Western officials have accused Russia of conducting a campaign of disruption and sabotage across Europe to undermine support for Ukraine, allegations that Moscow denies.
