At least three people, including two police officers, were killed in a bomb explosion in Moscow on Wednesday. This was the second such deadly incident in the Russian capital this week.

According to sources in Ukraine’s military intelligence agency GUR, Ukraine carried out the attack. The sources told Kyiv Post that the target was police officers who had taken part in Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and were involved in torturing Ukrainian prisoners of war.

Ukrainian intelligence claims responsibility

A source from GUR said the blast took place in the early hours of December 24 on Yeletska Street in Moscow.

“[In the early hours] of Dec. 24, two employees of the Russian Ministry of Internal Affairs were eliminated on Yeletska Street in Moscow, who participated in the war against Ukraine and, in particular, tortured Ukrainian prisoners of war,” the source told Kyiv Post.

The claim directly links the bombing to Ukraine’s intelligence operations against Russian security personnel.

How the explosion happened

Russia’s Investigative Committee explained how the incident unfolded. Its spokesperson, Svetlana Petrenko, said the explosion occurred when the officers approached a suspicious individual.

According to her statement, carried by the Associated Press, the explosive device detonated at that moment. Petrenko added that another person who was nearby also died in the blast.

Identities of the slain officers

The Russian Interior Ministry later identified the two officers. They were Lieutenant Ilya Klimanov, aged 24, and Lieutenant Maxim Gorbunov, aged 25, according to AP.

Their deaths have added to growing concerns inside Russia over security breaches in the capital.

Another blast earlier this week

The latest explosion came just days after another major attack in Moscow. On Monday, Lieutenant General Fanil Sarvarov was killed when an explosive device went off beneath his car.

Sarvarov headed the operational training directorate of the Russian military. His death marked the third killing of a Russian general in the past year.

Notably, Wednesday’s blast occurred in the same area where Sarvarov was killed.

Series of high-profile Russian losses

Russia has seen several senior military officials killed in similar attacks over the past year. Last December 17, Lieutenant General Igor Kirillov, who led Russia’s nuclear, biological, and chemical forces, was killed when a bomb hidden in a scooter exploded outside his apartment building.

Earlier this year in April, Lieutenant General Yaroslav Moskalik, a deputy head of the main operational department of the Russian military, was also killed. His car exploded in Moscow.

Ukraine’s stance on past bombings

Ukraine had openly claimed responsibility for the attack that killed Kirillov. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy also suggested Ukrainian involvement in the bombing that killed Moskalik.

Without naming Moskalik directly, Zelenskyy said in April that he had received a report from the head of GUR about the “liquidation” of senior Russian military figures. He added that “justice inevitably comes,” without mentioning any names.

Rising pressure inside Russia

These repeated attacks have highlighted growing security challenges for Russia, especially in Moscow. As the war in Ukraine continues, such incidents point to an expanding battlefield that now includes Russia’s own capital.