A senior Russian military officer has been killed in a car bombing outside Moscow, the second such high-profile assassination in recent months, with the Kremlin rushing to blame Ukraine despite offering no concrete evidence. Report agencies.
Lieutenant General Yaroslav Moskalik, a deputy chief within the General Staff’s operational command, died after an explosive device tore through his vehicle in Balashikha, a suburb on the eastern edge of the Russian capital. Russia’s Investigative Committee confirmed his death on Friday, describing the device as packed with shrapnel and indicating that forensic teams were still combing through the scene.
Footage published by state-linked media showed a car ablaze in a residential courtyard, as smoke billowed over nearby buildings.
While investigators have yet to identify suspects, Russian officials wasted no time in accusing Ukraine. Foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova claimed there was “reason to believe” that Ukrainian special services orchestrated the attack — a statement made without any supporting details. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov echoed the allegation, accusing Kyiv of sponsoring “terrorist acts” inside Russia.
“If the investigation confirms the Ukrainian trace, it would once again expose the barbaric methods of the Kyiv regime,” Zakharova said.
Ukrainian authorities have so far remained silent on the killing.
The attack mirrors the assassination of Lieutenant General Igor Kirillov in December 2024, who was killed by a hidden bomb placed in an electric scooter outside his home. On that occasion, Ukraine’s security service eventually claimed responsibility.
Moscow has increasingly portrayed Ukrainian attacks beyond the frontlines as acts of terrorism, while Kyiv views such operations as legitimate acts of war aimed at dismantling Russia’s military leadership.
The killing of Moskalik, a key operational figure, is likely to deepen the Kremlin’s sense of vulnerability, raising further questions about the security of top officials even within Russia’s heavily policed capital.
