Three people, including two police officers, have died in a Moscow explosion, according to Russian authorities.
The incident occurred when two traffic police officers noticed a “suspicious individual” near a police car on Yeletskaya Street.
As they approached the suspect to detain him, an explosive device detonated, the Investigative Committee of Russia reported.
The explosion claimed the lives of the two officers, along with a bystander who was nearby.
The blast happened close to where a senior Russian general was killed in a car bombing earlier this week. Lt. Gen. Fanil Sarvarov died after an explosive device, planted under his car, was triggered.
Investigative Committee spokesperson Svetlana Petrenko said on Telegram that a criminal case was underway in Moscow “regarding an attempt on the lives of traffic police officers.”
Russian media identified the fallen officers as 24-year-old Ilya Klimanov and 25-year-old Maxim Gorbunov.
Alexander, a resident living near the scene, told Reuters: “There was an explosion. It was loud bang – like with the car a few days ago.”
Russia has suggested Ukraine might be behind Monday’s explosion, though Ukraine has not confirmed any involvement in Sarvarov’s death. It remains unclear whether the two blasts are connected.
Sarvarov, 56, served as the head of the armed forces’ operational training department and was the third military official killed in bomb attacks in Moscow over the past year.
