The explosion targeted a patrol vehicle near the Savyolovsky train station

A police officer has been killed and two others injured in an explosion near the Savyolovsky train station in central Moscow, officials have said.

The incident occurred around 12:05 AM local time on Tuesday, when a device exploded after an unidentified individual had approached a police patrol vehicle at Savyolovsky Square, according to an official statement from the Ministry of Internal Affairs.

“As a result of the criminal’s actions, one officer sustained injuries incompatible with life,” the statement read. Two other officers were injured in the blast and have been hospitalized.

“A detailed inspection of the crime scene on the square in the area of Savyolovsky Station and the analysis of footage from external surveillance cameras have established that the perpetrator died at the scene,” the police press service said in a statement.

Police in the Russian capital confirmed they are working jointly with other security forces to establish the full circumstances surrounding the explosion.

The area around Savyolovsky Station, a major transport hub, was cordoned off following the incident as investigators and bomb technicians combed the scene for evidence. The identity and motive of the attacker remain unknown.

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The incident bears resemblance to an attack that occurred two months earlier in southern Moscow. In the early hours of December 24, 24-year-old Pavel Golubenko attempted to place an improvised explosive device (IED) under a police patrol car, possibly acting under the influence of fraudsters. The device detonated when officers Maxim Gorbunov and Ilya Klimanov attempted to apprehend him. All three men died in the explosion.