Top Russian general killed in car explosion near Moscow

"The person killed in the car explosion in Balashikha is 59-year-old Defense Ministry General Yaroslav Moskalik," the statement said.

The explosion occurred at about 10:40 a.m. when the military man was walking past a Volkswagen Golf parked near his house.

"The explosion was so powerful that the general was thrown several meters away, and glass broke in the apartments on the lower floors," Baza said.

Judging by the photos from the site, the IED was stuffed with impressive elements. In addition, the improvised explosive device in the car that blew up in Balashikha was preliminarily believed to have consisted of VOGs, or under-barrel grenade launchers.

The moment of the car explosion in Balashikha was posted online (Russian media)

Also, according to the Telegram channel, the explosion occurred near a house on Nesterov Boulevard, and Moskalik lived in the same area. According to Baza's sources, the owner of the Volkswagen Golf sold it to a 29-year-old Azerbaijani citizen a year ago.

The fire that started after the explosion has already been extinguished. Rescuers and police are on the scene, and the scene has been cordoned off.

In 2021, Moskalik was the deputy head of the Main Operational Directorate of the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces.

Liquidation of generals in Russia

It is not the first such case. In December 2024, Lieutenant General Igor Kirillov, the head of the Russian Armed Forces' radiation, chemical, and biological defense troops, was killed in an explosion in Moscow. The Security Service of Ukraine was behind the operation to eliminate him.

In addition, in June 2023, it was reported that Russian Major General Sergei Goryachev was almost certainly killed in a strike on a command post in southern Ukraine.