Senior Russian general killed in car bomb ahead of Witkoff-Putin meeting
Listen to article
A senior Russian general was killed in a car explosion on Friday, just hours before US envoy Steve Witkoff met President Vladimir Putin for talks on the Ukraine conflict, according to Russian authorities.
Lieutenant General Yaroslav Moskalik, deputy head of the Main Operations Directorate of the Russian General Staff, died after a bomb detonated near a Volkswagen Golf in the city of Balashikha, less than 20 miles east of Moscow.
Russia's Investigative Committee confirmed the death, stating the blast was caused by a shrapnel-packed improvised explosive device.
The incident coincided with Witkoff's fourth official visit to Russia since Donald Trump returned to the presidency in January, and his second this month.
The Kremlin meeting between Witkoff and Putin was reported by state news agency Tass, which also confirmed the US envoy met with top Russian negotiator Kirill Dmitriev.
Witkoff's visit follows remarks by Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov on Thursday, who has stated that Moscow was 'ready to reach a deal' on ending the war in Ukraine, though some points still required 'fine-tuning.'
According to the military-linked Russian blog Rybar, Moskalik was near the vehicle, not inside it, when the explosion occurred after he exited a nearby building.
Little public information exists about Moskalik, but Rybar described him as 'competent and demanding,' adding he was 'not well liked' due to his strict leadership style.
Investigators have launched a criminal probe into the bombing. A forensic team is working at the scene, and officials have confirmed that the device was homemade.
The blast follows another incident in Moscow two days earlier, where an explosion triggered a fire in an underground car park in the capital's business district. Authorities have not linked the two events.
The timing of Moskalik's death—just ahead of a high-stakes diplomatic meeting—adds a layer of tension to ongoing efforts to negotiate an end to the war in Ukraine.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Business Recorder
5 hours ago
- Business Recorder
Russia launches biggest drone attack on Ukraine, targets military airfield, Kyiv says
KYIV: Russia hit Ukraine overnight with its largest drone attack since the start of the war, causing some damage at a military airfield in the west of the country that was one of its main targets, the Ukrainian air force said on Monday. It was the latest in Russian onslaughts since Ukraine destroyed a number of Russian bombers in drone attacks on air bases deep inside Russia earlier this month. Ukraine's air defence units downed 460 out of 479 drones and 19 out of 20 missiles launched by the Russian forces, the air force said in a statement. A military airfield close to Ukraine's western border was the key target, air force spokesperson Yuriy Ihnat said. Russia fired record 479 drones at Ukraine overnight 'The main strike was targeting… one of the operational air fields. There are some hits,' Ihnat told Ukrainian TV, without elaborating on the damage. The airfield is in the city of Dubno, about 60 km (40 miles) from Ukraine's border with Poland, Ukrainian regional authorities said. Polish and allied aircraft were activated early on Monday to ensure the safety of Polish airspace, the Polish armed forces said. Russia's Defence Ministry said the attack was another strike in response to Kyiv's attacks on Russian bases this month, adding that 'all designated facilities' had been hit. The more than three-year-old war in Ukraine has been escalating as the peace talks between Kyiv and Moscow have so far failed to yield any significant results. The two sides remain deeply divided on how to end the war. Ukraine is pushing for an unconditional ceasefire as a first step, something Russia has repeatedly rejected.
Business Recorder
6 hours ago
- Business Recorder
Russia fired record 479 drones at Ukraine overnight
KYIV: Moscow fired a record 479 drones at Ukraine, including on the western region of Rivne that has been largely spared from attacks, Kyiv said Monday, also claiming an attack on a Russian factory hundreds of miles east of Moscow. Russia has escalated its attacks across Ukraine in recent weeks, which Kyiv says demonstrate that the Kremlin has no intention of stopping its more than three-year invasion and is not serious about peace talks. Moscow said Monday its strikes are continued retaliation for a bold Ukrainian attack on its bomber planes parked deep inside Russia, including in Siberia, that infuriated the Kremlin. The overnight Russian attacks caused damage in several Ukrainian regions. There were no reports of people killed or mass casualties. 'Enemy air strikes were recorded in 10 spots,' the Ukrainian air force said. The mayor of the western city of Rivne, Oleksandr Tretyak, called it 'the largest attack' on the region since the start of the war. Kyiv mayor says Russian drones, missiles trigger fires, injure eight Regional governor Oleksandr Koval said 70 buildings – including private houses and a nursery – were damaged in the attack. Russia said it had targeted an airfield near the village of Dubno in the Rivne region. 'This is one of the retaliatory strikes against terrorist attacks by the Kyiv regime on Russian military airfields,' its defence ministry said. Russia had vowed revenge last week and had already called strikes on Kyiv retaliation to the brazen Ukrainian operation. Ukraine also said it had launched its own overnight strike on an electronics factory that makes part for Russian drones, in the city of Cheboskary in Chuvashia – some 600 kilometres (372 miles) east of Moscow. Russian officials said the facility had to temporarily suspend production after the attack. 'This morning, Ukrainian attempts to use drones in Chuvashia were detected,' Chuvashia Governor Oleg Nikolayev said on Telegram, adding: 'Two drones fell on the territory of the VNIIR factory.' Ukraine's army said the factory manufactured 'antennas for Shahed' (drones). Russia fires dozens of Iranian-designed Shahed attack drones at Ukrainian cities on a daily basis. Russia said a Ukrainian strike killed one person in its border Kursk region Monday. The acting governor of the region, Alexander Khinstein, said the strike hit a 'cultural-service centre' in the Rylsky district, killing a 64-year-old man.
Business Recorder
8 hours ago
- Business Recorder
Russia says it takes more territory in east-central Ukraine, creating ‘buffer zone' there
MOSCOW: Russia said on Monday that its forces had taken control of more territory in Ukraine's east-central region of Dnipropetrovsk, where the Kremlin said fighting was partly aimed at creating a 'buffer zone.' State media quoted the Defence Ministry as saying that Russian troops 'continued to advance into the depths of the enemy's defence' and had increased the area of territory in Dnipropetrovsk they controlled. Reuters could not independently confirm the battlefield report. Ukraine said at the weekend that its forces were holding the section of the front near the eastern border of Dnipropetrovsk. Asked if Russia was trying to create a buffer zone by pushing into Dnipropetrovsk, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters: 'Without a doubt that is part of it.' Russia advances to east-central Ukrainian region amid row over dead soldiers The Russian offensive there is notable because Dnipropetrovsk is not one of the five regions of Ukraine - including Crimea and four areas in the south and east of the country - that Russia has previously claimed as part of its own territory. The U.S.-based Institute for the Study of War said the purpose of a Russian thrust into Dnipropetrovsk could be to cut off Ukraine's lines of communication and supply to its troops in the Donetsk region, further east. Dmitry Medvedev, the deputy chairman of Russia's Security Council, said at the weekend that the Dnipropetrovsk offensive showed that if Ukraine did not want to accept the reality of Russia's territorial gains in peace talks then Moscow's forces would advance further on the ground. Russia and Ukraine renewed peace negotiations in Turkey last month after a gap of more than three years, but the conflict has actually intensified in recent weeks. Russia has advanced on the battlefield and carried out some of its heaviest air attacks of the war, while Ukraine conducted an audacious operation deep inside Russia on June 1 that inflicted serious damage on Moscow's fleet of nuclear-capable strategic bomber planes.
