Senior Russian General Yaroslav Moskalik Killed in Car Explosion Near Moscow

A senior Russian military officer was killed in a car explosion in the Moscow suburb of Balashikha, according to Russian media Baza on April 25.

The victim has been identified as 59-year-old Yaroslav Moskalik, a high-ranking general and former deputy chief of the Main Operational Directorate of the Russian General Staff.

Russian investigators have opened a criminal case in connection with the explosion, although the specific charges have not been disclosed.

The Russian Investigative Committee has confirmed the death of Lieutenant General Moskalik in a car explosion in Balashikha.

In the message of the department indicated the last position and rank of the deceased – Deputy Chief of the Main Operational Directorate of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of the Russian Armed Forces, Lieutenant General.

“According to available data, the explosion occurred as a result of the triggering of an improvised explosive device filled with destructive elements,” – said a statement of the official representative of the Investigative Committee Svetlana Petrenko.

The vehicle, a Volkswagen Golf, was reportedly parked near General Moskalik’s residence on Nesterov Boulevard, according to Baza.

Leaked data reviewed by the Russian investigative outlet The Agency confirmed that Moskalik lived in the building next to where the vehicle exploded.

According to reports, the bomb detonated as Moskalik was walking past the car. The general himself reportedly owned a different vehicle—a 2020 Skoda Kodiaq—further suggesting the targeted car was not his

Moskalik was appointed lieutenant general by Russian President Vladimir Putin in 2021. That same year, he represented Russia at the Moscow Conference on International Security, speaking during a session focused on military and technical cooperation in Africa and the Middle East.

Earlier, an armored Russian vehicle carrying troops from Chechnya’s “Akhmat Vostok” unit was destroyed on the outskirts of temporarily occupied Melitopol in the Zaporizhzhia region.

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