In brief
In a shocking turn of events, two traffic police officers were killed in Moscow after an explosive device went off while they attempted to detain a suspect. The attack occurs just days after a high-profile assassination of a senior Russian general in the city, prompting investigations into a possible connection. Authorities are treating the incident as a serious attempt on law enforcement lives, while suspicions linger about who may be behind these violent acts.
Three people - including two police officers - have been killed in an explosion in Moscow, Russian authorities have said.
Two traffic police officers saw a suspicious individual near a police car on the city's Yeletskaya Street, and when they approached the suspect to detain him, an explosive device was detonated, Russia's Investigative Committee has stated.
The two police officers died from their injuries, along with another individual who was standing nearby.
The blast took place close to where a senior Russian general was killed in a car bombing in the capital days prior.
Investigative Committee spokesperson Svetlana Petrenko announced on Telegram that a criminal case is being investigated in Moscow regarding an attempt on the lives of traffic police officers.
The officers, named by Russian media as Ilya Klimanov, 24, and Maxim Gorbunov, 25, were working to maintain safety in the city.
Alexander, a local resident, reported hearing a loud explosion similar to that of the earlier car bomb incident, underlining the tension and fear that has gripped the neighborhood.
Russia has indicated that it suspects Ukrainian involvement in the recent bombing incidents, but Ukraine has not confirmed any such involvement.
Lt Gen Fanil Sarvarov, the general killed, was a high-ranking military official, marking yet another violent day in a series of bomb attacks that have escalated in the capital over the last year.
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