Additional information on the assassination of a high-ranking Russian general

On April 25, an explosion in the courtyard of a multi-storey building in the city of Balashikha, near Moscow, killed Lieutenant General Yaroslav Moskalik, deputy head of the Main Operations Directorate of the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces. This was reported by the Russian Investigative Committee and local sources.

The incident occurred in the Aviators microdistrict, a residential area known for housing military pensioners. The explosion occurred at approximately 10:40 local time. An explosive device installed in a Volkswagen Golf car was detonated, killing one person. Kommersant reported that the number of victims could be two, but other sources have not confirmed this information.

The force of the explosion shattered windows on the lower floors of the buildings, and several nearby cars were damaged. After the incident, a fire broke out in the car, which was quickly extinguished by firefighters.

Initially, it was assumed that the explosion was caused by a gas cylinder, but this assumption was soon refuted. Experts found remnants of an improvised explosive device and damaging elements in the car. Therefore, investigators are emphasizing that the explosion could be a terrorist act.

As it turned out, the car that exploded did not belong to Moskalik. It was reported that the general's personal car was a Skoda Kodiaq. The Volkswagen Golf has recently changed owners several times, and its last owner was 40-year-old Ignat K., a native of Sumy, Ukraine.

Law enforcement agencies believe that the explosive device was detonated from a distance as General Moskalik was leaving the entrance. In the footage released by Izvestia, it can be seen that the explosion occurred exactly when a person was passing by the car.

Not much is known about General Yaroslav Moskalyk. He participated in the 2015 Normandy format talks on a peaceful resolution to the conflict in eastern Ukraine and in 2018 supervised the delivery of phosphate products from Syria by the Russian company Stroytransgaz. He also regularly speaks at international conferences, including the Moscow International Security Conference on Syria. Moskalyk was promoted to lieutenant general in 2021.

The Russian Investigative Committee has opened a criminal case on murder (Article 105) and illegal handling of explosives (Article 222.1) of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation, and the investigation is ongoing.

Russian media are reporting that Moskalyk is the third lieutenant general to die since the start of the full-scale war in Ukraine. Read 'Zamin' on Telegram!