MOSCOW, April 25 — A senior Russian military official, Lt. Gen. Yaroslav Moskalik, was killed in a car bomb explosion on the outskirts of Moscow on Friday, in what Russian authorities have described as a “terrorist act,” raising concerns over deepening security threats far from the frontlines of the war in Ukraine.
According to Vesti FM radio, the blast occurred when an improvised explosive device detonated near Moskalik’s vehicle.
The Investigative Committee, Russia’s top law enforcement body, confirmed the general’s death and said forensic experts are analyzing fragments of the device found at the scene.
“Fragments of the device were found at the site and have been sent for examination,” said Committee spokeswoman Svetlana Petrenko.
Moskalik, 59, was serving as deputy director of the Main Operations Directorate of the Russian General Staff and had played a role in various high-level defence negotiations.
Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova condemned the killing and described it as an act of terror.
“The main question is how to stop the war in the centre of Europe, the world. We see so many victims every day. Even today, a Russian soldier was killed in a terrorist attack in Moscow,” she told state-run TASS.
While there has been no official attribution of responsibility, speculation has already begun regarding the potential involvement of Ukrainian intelligence services.
Several Russian officers reportedly linked to the Ukraine conflict have been killed in recent months—often near their residences and hundreds of kilometers from active combat zones.
Russian security sources have frequently blamed Ukraine’s Security Service (SBU) for orchestrating such attacks.
The timing of Moskalik’s assassination has sparked further intrigue, coming just hours before scheduled talks between US envoy Steve Whitkoff and Kremlin officials over possible frameworks for ending the war in Ukraine.
It is not yet clear whether the attack was directly connected to the negotiations.
Moskalik was considered a significant figure in Russia’s defence establishment, particularly in areas related to operational strategy and intergovernmental coordination.
His sudden death is expected to further complicate internal security considerations within the Kremlin, as well as cast a shadow over international efforts to broker peace.
As investigators continue to probe the incident, Moscow’s growing list of high-ranking military losses far from the battlefield underscores the reach—and risks—of a war now playing out beyond traditional frontlines.
