A senior Russian military officer, Major General Yaroslav Moskalik, was killed on Friday in a car bomb explosion in the town of Balashikha, just east of Moscow, Russia’s Investigative Committee has confirmed. The powerful blast, which also claimed the life of a second unidentified individual, is being treated as a criminal case.

Moskalik was the deputy head of the Main Operations Directorate of the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces—a key position in Russia’s military leadership. The Investigative Committee revealed that the explosion resulted from a homemade explosive device filled with destructive elements. While the perpetrators remain unknown, authorities are yet to name suspects in the attack.

The blast, reportedly detonated remotely, occurred as Moskalik walked past a parked car near his residence. Russian news outlet Baza, citing law enforcement sources, said the device had been planted in the vehicle and triggered as Moskalik approached. Video footage published by Izvestia showed the explosion hurling car parts metres into the air, underscoring the severity of the blast.

Moskalik had participated in several major diplomatic and military negotiations, including the 2015 Normandy Format talks, where representatives from Germany, France, Russia, and Ukraine convened in a bid to resolve the ongoing conflict in Eastern Ukraine. He was part of the security subgroup in the Minsk peace talks, working alongside Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and top Kremlin advisers.

The targeted killing of high-ranking military figures has become increasingly common since the outbreak of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. Moscow has blamed several of these incidents on Ukrainian intelligence operations. In a notable parallel, Ukrainian authorities were accused of orchestrating the December assassination of Lieutenant General Igor Kirillov using a bomb concealed in an electric scooter.

As of Friday evening, Ukraine’s Security Service (SBU) has not commented on Moskalik’s death. The Kremlin, too, has remained silent, though analysts expect the incident to heighten security measures and intensify Russia’s internal investigations amid growing fears of infiltration and targeted attacks within its borders.

Melissa Enoch

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