ISTANBUL

A senior Russian general was killed in a car explosion in Moscow on Monday, the country's Investigative Committee said.

The committee said in a statement on Telegram that Lt. Gen. Fanil Sarvarov, head of the Russian General Staff’s Operational Training Department, died from injuries caused by the blast.

“According to investigators, on the morning of Dec. 22, an explosive device planted under the bottom of a car was detonated on Yasenevaya Street in Moscow,” the statement said.

It stated that investigations are underway following the opening of a criminal case in Moscow.

“Investigators are pursuing various theories regarding the murder. One of them is that the crime was orchestrated by Ukrainian intelligence services,” it added.

Ukrainian authorities have not yet commented on the claim.

Earlier in April, another senior military officer, Lt. Gen. Yaroslav Moskalik, was killed in a car explosion in the Moscow region, which Russia blamed on Ukraine's Security Service. Kyiv neither confirmed nor denied any involvement.

In December last year, Lt. Gen. Igor Kirillov, chief of Russia's Radiation, Chemical and Biological Protection Defense Troops, was also killed in an explosion in the Russian capital.

Multiple Ukrainian media outlets, including state news agency Ukrinform, citing sources, reported that Kirillov's death came as a result of a "special operation" by Ukraine's Security Service.