A Russian general was killed Friday in a car bomb attack in the city of Balashikha, authorities said.
News of the explosion broke just before President Donald Trump’s special envoy, Steve Witkoff, was scheduled to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow.
Witkoff is in the Russian capital for crucial talks on a possible ceasefire in Ukraine as Trump’s self-imposed deadline of ending the war within the first 100 days of his presidency approaches.
The envoy was received by Putin at the Kremlin on Friday afternoon, Russian state news agency Tass reported, adding that Witkoff also met with senior Russian negotiator Kirill Dmitriev.
Dimitriev and Russian presidential adviser and former ambassador to Washington Yuri Ushakov took part in the meeting with Putin, Tass reported.
This is Witkoff’s fourth trip to Russia since Trump returned to office in January, and his second this month.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said Moscow was “ready to reach an agreement” on ending the war in Ukraine in an interview with CBS News on Thursday, but added that there were still some specific points that needed to be “fine-tuned.”
The long-awaited meeting on Friday took place shortly after it was announced that General Yaroslav Moskalik, deputy chief of the Main Operations Directorate of the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces, had been killed in the explosion of a Volkswagen Golf in Balashikha, less than 30 kilometers east of Moscow.
The Russian Investigative Committee confirmed Moskalik’s death, adding that the explosion was caused by an improvised explosive device loaded with shrapnel.
No one has claimed responsibility for the attack. The attack appeared to be similar to previous killings of Russian officers, including that of Lieutenant General Igor Kirillov, a top Russian general accused of orchestrating the use of chemical weapons on the battlefields of Ukraine.
Kirillov, who headed Russia’s radiation, biological, and chemical protection forces, was killed in December when a remote-controlled bomb inside an electric scooter exploded outside a Moscow apartment building.
According to the influential Russian military blog Rybar, Moskalik was not in the car when it exploded, but near it after leaving a nearby building. However, we 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.”
The Russian Investigative Committee reported that it has opened a criminal investigation into the explosion. It added that an investigation team, including forensic experts and law enforcement officers, had begun examining the scene.
Tass previously reported that the explosive device was “homemade.”
Friday’s explosion comes two days after a fire broke out in an underground parking garage in Moscow’s financial district following an explosion.
