Video Shows the Moment Russian General Killed in Car Bomb Blast Near Moscow

The 59-year-old defense ministry general was reportedly killed in a bomb blast

Lt. Gen. Yaroslav Moskalik, a senior Russian military officer, was killed on Friday in a car bomb explosion in Balashikha, a suburb just outside Moscow. The Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation confirmed the general’s death, stating that an explosive device rigged with shrapnel had been placed inside his vehicle.

Moskalik served as a deputy head in the main operational department of the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces. Authorities have launched a full-scale investigation into the assassination, and forensic teams were dispatched to the scene following the blast. No suspects have yet been identified.

The car was blown to pieces in the blast

Footage circulating in Russian media shows a vehicle engulfed in flames in the courtyard of an apartment building, believed to be the site of the explosion.

This incident marks the second high-profile killing of a Russian general by bomb attack in recent months. In December 2024, Lt. Gen. Igor Kirillov, head of Russia’s Radiation, Biological, and Chemical Protection Forces, was killed by an explosive hidden on an electric scooter outside his residence. That attack also claimed the life of his assistant. Russian officials attributed Kirillov’s death to Ukrainian security services, who later acknowledged responsibility.

Onlookers watched on in shock as smoke billowed into the air

The latest bombing occurred amid heightened geopolitical tensions, coinciding with the scheduled meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin and U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff in Moscow to discuss a peace initiative concerning the ongoing conflict in Ukraine. The meeting is the fourth of its kind since February 2025.

The killing of Moskalik has further intensified concerns over the security of top military officials and the growing reach of covert operations targeting Russian defense leadership.