Three senior Russian generals were killed in Moscow-area attacks from December 2024 to December 2025, underscoring vulnerabilities near command hubs in the capital. Ukrainian intelligence carried out precision assassinations of Russian generals tied to key wartime functions, including the December 17, 2024 scooter-bomb killing of Igor Kirillov, then chief of Russia’s Chemical Defense Troops. Investigators said Uzbek Akhmadzhon Kurbonov confessed in that case, and Ukraine labeled Kirillov a war criminal linked to chemical weapons use. Deputy operations chief Yaroslav Moskalik died in an April 25, 2025 car bomb in Balashikha, while training chief Fanil Sarvarov was killed by a magnetic mine on December 22, 2025. Analysts noted distinct methods and early-morning timing as signs of operational learning and routine awareness across the three incidents.
