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Senior Russian General Killed in Car Bombing in Moscow
A senior military official from Russia has been confirmed dead following a car bomb explosion in the capital, Moscow. The Investigative Committee of Russia (SK) reported that General Yaroslav Moskalik lost his life when an improvised explosive device hidden in a Volkswagen Golf detonated.
According to local reports, the explosion occurred as Moskalik approached his vehicle, which was parked near his residence in the eastern suburb of Balashikha.
Maria Zakharova, spokesperson for the Russian Foreign Ministry, condemned the act as a “terrorist attack” but did not elaborate on further details, as reported by the Telegram channel Smotri.
General Moskalik was notably involved in high-stakes negotiations with Ukraine in Paris in 2015, contributing to the establishment of the Minsk agreements. These agreements aimed to halt the ongoing conflict that began in 2014 between Ukraine and pro-Russian separatist forces.
During those ceasefire discussions, Moskalik was part of a Russian delegation that included prominent figures such as Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and Yuri Ushakov, the former ambassador to the United States.
Videos and images that surfaced on Telegram depicted a burning vehicle outside a residential block, but as of now, no group has claimed responsibility for the bombing.
This incident coincides with anticipated talks in Moscow between U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff and Russian President Vladimir Putin later the same day. Lavrov mentioned that Moscow was “prepared to reach a deal” with the United States to conclude the conflict in Ukraine, while acknowledging that certain aspects still required refinement.
In Kyiv, Mayor Vitali Klitschko raised concerns that territorial concessions might be necessary for any peace settlement.
As the situation unfolds, Ukraine continues to face drone assaults, with the Ukrainian Air Force reporting that Russia launched a significant attack involving 103 drones. These strikes resulted in the deaths of three individuals, including a child and an elderly woman in Pavlohrad, located within the Dnipropetrovsk region. Additionally, Kharkiv, a northeastern Ukrainian city, sustained damage as a result of these attacks, according to its mayor, Ihor Terekhov.
The car bombing represents a continuation of violence directed at Russian military officials since the onset of the war, although targeted killings within Moscow itself remain relatively uncommon. Notably, this event follows the February death of Armen Sargsyan, leader of a pro-Russian paramilitary group, who succumbed to injuries from an explosion in a residential building’s entrance in north-west Moscow; no group has claimed responsibility for that incident either.
In the previous year, Lieutenant General Igor Kirillov, a high-ranking Russian general, and his aide were killed in Moscow by Ukraine’s SBU security service. Reports indicated that Kirillov, who led the Radiation, Biological and Chemical Defence Forces, was targeted via a remotely detonated device concealed in a scooter, with SBU sources declaring him a “legitimate target” due to alleged war crimes.
Source
www.bbc.com