Two police officers killed in explosion in Moscow

MOSCOW – Two police officers were killed in an overnight explosion in Moscow when they tried to stop a suspicious person, Russia’s Investigative Committee said in a statement on Dec 24.

The blast happened close to the site where a Russian general was killed earlier this week.

“An explosive device was triggered” as the officers approached the suspect who was near their service vehicle, said the statement by the committee, which probes major crimes.

An earlier statement on Telegram said investigators were inspecting the scene and carrying out forensic analysis, including “medical and explosive examinations”.

The area was cordoned off and had a large police presence, according to images broadcast on Russian television, which quoted witnesses describing an explosion that occurred at around 1.30am local time.

The blast took place near where Lieutenant-General Fanil Sarvarov was killed on Dec 22 by an explosive device that had been placed under his parked car.

Lt-Gen Sarvarov had been the head of the Russian General Staff’s training department.

Since Moscow sent troops into Ukraine in February 2022, Kyiv has been blamed for several attacks targeting Russian military officials and pro-Kremlin figures both in Russia and in occupied parts of Ukraine.

Kyiv has claimed responsibility for some of the attacks but has not commented on Dec 22’s incident. AFP