A high-ranking Russian military officer, Yaroslav Moskalik, was killed in a car explosion on Friday in the Moscow suburb of Balashikha, according to Russian media reports.
Moskalik, who served as deputy head of the main operations directorate of the Russian Armed Forces, died when a bomb planted in a parked car detonated remotely as he passed by. Eyewitness footage showed a car engulfed in flames near a residential building shortly after the blast.
While officials have not yet confirmed the details or motive, the incident occurred just a day after Russia carried out one of its deadliest strikes on Ukraine in nearly a year. It remains unclear whether Moskalik was specifically targeted.
Ukraine has previously acknowledged responsibility for attacks on Russian military figures, including the December assassination of Lt. Gen. Igor Kirillov, Russia’s top nuclear weapons official, who was accused of deploying chemical weapons.
The car bombing also comes amid mounting global tensions, with U.S. President Donald Trump criticizing Vladimir Putin over the recent escalation. In a Truth Social post, Trump condemned the strikes on Kyiv and urged Putin to stop the violence and prioritize a peace agreement, noting the rising death toll among soldiers.
