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Emma Pengelly

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We are checking images and video shared this morning that show the aftermath of a alleged vehicle-borne explosive explosion that authorities in Russia say killed a senior military officer in Moscow.

Russian authorities stated that Lieutenant General Fanil Sarvarov was inside the vehicle that detonated and that he succumbed of his wounds. An investigation is currently ongoing.

The initial step to check the location from which the images originated relied on social media reports indicating the explosion occurred on Yasenevaya Street in the southern part of the Russian capital.

We used street-view imagery on digital map platforms and the local mapping service Yandex Maps to match the unique yellow colour of a adjacent apartment building seen in the video.

Identifying additional structures, streetlights and the road configuration verified the exact location the footage were captured.

Additionally, we verified that the video clips were new and that the images had not undergone manipulated.