A senior Russian general, Yaroslav Moskalik, has been killed in a car bombing in Balashikha, a city located just 20 miles east of Moscow, Russian authorities confirmed on Friday. Moskalik, the deputy head of the Main Operations Directorate of the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces, was killed in a blast that occurred in the Volkswagen Golf car he was near, which was triggered by an improvised explosive device (IED) filled with shrapnel.
The explosion comes at a highly sensitive time, as US President Donald Trump’s special envoy, Steve Witkoff, is in Moscow for talks aimed at negotiating a potential ceasefire in Ukraine. Witkoff’s meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin at the Kremlin occurred shortly after the announcement of Moskalik’s death. Witkoff, who has made four trips to Russia since Trump’s return to office, is in Moscow to discuss the ongoing conflict in Ukraine as Trump’s self-imposed deadline for a peace deal approaches.
Witkoff’s meeting with Putin was part of a broader series of diplomatic engagements with Russian officials, including senior negotiator Kirill Dmitriev and former ambassador Yuri Ushakov. Lavrov’s comments on CBS News earlier this week signaled that Russia was open to a deal to end the war, although “specific points” were still to be resolved.
The car bombing that claimed Moskalik’s life echoes previous high-profile assassinations of Russian officials, including that of Lt. Gen. Igor Kirillov, who was killed in December in a similar attack involving a remotely operated bomb planted in an electric scooter. The explosion in Balashikha has yet to be claimed by any group, and the Russian authorities have launched a criminal investigation into the incident.
Russia’s Investigative Committee confirmed the explosion was caused by an IED, and forensic experts and law enforcement officers are already investigating the scene. According to reports, Moskalik was reportedly not inside the car at the time of the blast but was in close proximity to it, having just exited a nearby building. However, this account has not been independently verified.
Moskalik, who held the rank of Lieutenant General, was described by the influential Russian military blog Rybar as a “competent and demanding” officer, though he was reportedly not well-liked due to his tough management style.
This incident follows another blast in Moscow earlier this week, where a fire broke out in an underground car park in the city’s business district following an explosion, adding to growing concerns over the security of Russian officials.
The Kremlin has yet to issue a formal statement regarding the attack, and Russian authorities continue their investigation into the death of Moskalik, which is certain to add further tension to ongoing international discussions regarding the conflict in Ukraine.