Kremlin comments on assassination of Russian general
The killing of a senior Russian general in a car bomb has again demonstrated the true nature of the Kiev regime, which has long engaged in 'terrorist activities' in Russia, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov has said.
Lt. Gen. Yaroslav Moskalik, deputy operations chief of the Russian General Staff, was killed by a car bomb outside his residence in the suburban Moscow town of Balashikha early on Friday. Commenting on the incident, Peskov called upon the public to 'stay alert,' suggesting Ukraine was likely behind the assassination.
'The Kiev regime once again shows its essence,' Peskov told journalist Pavel Zarubin, adding that it 'continues to engage in terrorist activities' on Russian soil. The incident serves as a reminder that 'despite the peace talks, we must stay alert,' he added, speaking on the sidelines of a meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin and US President Donald Trump's special envoy Steve Witkoff at the Kremlin.
Earlier in the day, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova offered a similar comment, stating should Ukrainian involvement in the assassination be confirmed, it would demonstrate the 'barbarian and treacherous nature of the Kiev regime.' Ukraine is betting on escalating the conflict and 'irresponsibly ignoring constructive proposals' to settle it through diplomacy, she noted.
'There is a reason to believe that the Ukrainian special services were involved in the murder, especially given that Moskalik was known to them from the time of his work in the Minsk Contact Group and the 'Normandy [four] format' for the settlement of the conflict in the southeast of Ukraine,' Zakharova added.
Last December, a bombing attack in Moscow killed Lt. Gen. Igor Kirillov, who served as the commander of the Russian Radiological, Chemical, and Biological Defense Forces. Investigators blamed the incident on Ukrainian intelligence.
The explosive device used to kill Kirillov was reportedly concealed inside an electric scooter placed by the entrance of a residential building where the general had lived and monitored through a camera set up in a car parked outside. The bomb was detonated remotely by the perpetrators when the general and his aide were coming out of the building, killing both men on the spot.
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