Two police officers killed in Moscow explosion

Three people, including two police officers, were killed in an explosion in Moscow, Russian authorities announced.

Two traffic police officers saw a “suspicious individual” near a police car on Yeletskaya Street, and when they approached the suspect to arrest him, an explosive device detonated, Russia’s Investigative Committee said.

Reports in Russia indicate that the third person killed was the suspect, but this has not been officially confirmed.

The blast took place near where a top Russian general was killed in a car bombing in the capital on Monday. Lieutenant General Fanil Sarvarov died after an explosive device placed under a car exploded.

Investigative Committee spokesperson Svetlana Petrenko said in a statement on Telegram that a criminal case was being investigated in Moscow “concerning an assassination attempt against traffic police officers.”

Russian media identified the officers as Ilya Klimanov, 24, and Maxim Gorbunov, 25.

Sources in Ukraine’s military intelligence agency, HUR, told the BBC that a local resident had eliminated two Russian law enforcement officials, “in a sign of disagreement with the Kremlin’s aggressive policy” and said one man “threw an explosive package through the car window, causing an explosion.”

According to HUR sources, two other people were taken to hospital with serious injuries.

Ukrainian military sources also told the BBC on Wednesday that the two slain officers had “participated in hostilities against Ukraine”, adding that there was “evidence of their involvement in the torture of Ukrainian prisoners of war”.

There are no details and Moscow has not commented.

Speaking to the Reuters news agency, Alexander, a resident who lives nearby, said: “There was an explosion.

“It was a loud noise, like with the car a few days ago.”

Russia said it suspected Ukraine was behind Monday’s explosion, without providing any evidence.

Ukraine, however, has not clarified whether it was involved in the death of Fanil Sarvarov.

It is also unclear whether the two explosions are related.

Sarvarov, 56, was the head of the operational training department of the armed forces.

He is the third military official to be killed in bombings in the Russian capital in the past year.