Russian army general killed in Moscow car explosion - VIDEO/UPDATED
A senior general in the Russian Armed Forces’ General Staff was killed in a car explosion east of Moscow on Friday, police investigators confirmed.
“According to preliminary information, the blast killed Lieutenant General Yaroslav Moskalik,” a spokeswoman for Russia’s Investigative Committee, which probes major crimes, said in a statement.
“Early reports indicate the explosion was caused by an improvised explosive device packed with shrapnel,” the law enforcement agency said, adding that detectives and forensic experts were examining the scene of the blast in the Moscow suburb of Balashikha.
Police launched a murder investigation, as well as a probe into the illegal trafficking of explosives. Authorities did not say whether they had identified any suspects.
State media initially reported that a parked car exploded due to a gas leak. Security camera footage shared by pro-Kremlin outlets showed a powerful explosion near an apartment block as a pedestrian walked past the vehicle.
Moskalik, 59, served as the deputy chief of the Russian General Staff’s Main Operational Directorate. The directorate is responsible for planning military operations and overseeing combat readiness.
A senior Russian military general has been killed in a car explosion in Moscow, according to local media.
Yaroslav Moskalik, deputy chief of the main operations directorate of Russia’s army, was killed on Nesterov Boulevard in Balashikha, Moscow, News.Az reports, citing The Telegraph.
Rescue teams reported that he died from an explosive device which was planted next to the vehicle’s gas cylinder and exploded remotely.
Footage posted by well-placed Telegram channels shows a car burning next to a block of flats.
It was not immediately clear who was responsible for the attack.
Similar news
