On April 25, 2025, a car bomb in Balashikha, near Moscow, killed Lieutenant General Yaroslav Moskalik, a senior Russian officer, hours before U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff met Vladimir Putin to discuss Ukraine peace talks. The Kremlin blamed Ukraine, calling it a “terrorist” act, though no evidence was provided. This marks the second such killing in four months, following Ukraine’s claimed assassination of General Igor Kirillov in December 2024. The attack’s timing suggests Ukraine may be signaling discontent with U.S.-Russia negotiations. As Russia intensifies strikes on Ukraine, killing 12 that day, the incident highlights the war’s escalating tensions and fragile diplomacy.
Series of targeted bomb attacks
Friday’s highly anticipated meeting in Moscow took place soon after the announcement that General Yaroslav Moskalik, deputy head of the Main Operations Directorate of the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces, had been killed when a car exploded in Balashikha, which lies less than 20 miles east of the capital.
Russia’s Investigative Committee confirmed Moskalik’s death, adding that the blast was caused by an improvised explosive device packed with shrapnel.
No one has claimed responsibility for the bombing. The attack appeared similar in nature to previous assassinations of Russian officials, including that of Lt. Gen. Igor Kirillov, a top Russian general who was accused of orchestrating the use of chemical weapons on the battlefields in Ukraine.
Kirillov—who headed Russia’s radiological, biological, and chemical protection forces—was killed in December after a remotely operated bomb planted inside an electric scooter went off outside an apartment building in Moscow.
The influential Russian military blog Rybar said Moskalik was not in the Volkswagen Golf when it exploded but was close to it after walking out of a nearby building. Berry Pulse cannot independently verify this report.
Little is known about Moskalik, who held the rank of lieutenant general.
Rybar described him as “competent and demanding” and said “he was not well liked” because he was “tough on his subordinates.”
Russia’s Investigative Committee said it has opened a criminal probe into the explosion. It added that an investigative team, including forensic experts and law enforcement officers, had begun examining the scene.
Tass earlier reported that the explosive device was “homemade.”
Friday’s reported blast comes two days after a fire broke out at an underground car park in Moscow’s business district following an explosion there.
