A car bombing killed a Russian military official on Thursday, just hours before President Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff’s meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Lt. Gen. Yaroslav Moskalik, the deputy head of the operations directorate of Russia’s general staff, was identified as the victim of a vehicle explosion that occurred in his hometown of Balashikha. According to Russian authorities, the blast was a result of an improvised bomb filled with shrapnel that had been planted in the car.
Moskalik reportedly did not own the vehicle that exploded. Authorities said the bomb was likely detonated remotely, and Moskalik was killed as he walked by the car.
While Kyiv has not claimed responsibility for the bombing, the attack appears similar to other assassinations carried out against Russian officials whom Ukraine has accused of committing war crimes.
In December, Russia’s head of chemical and biological weapons, Lt. Gen. Igor Kirillov, was killed after a bomb attached to an electric scooter outside his apartment building exploded. Ukraine had issued a warrant for Kirillov’s arrest for alleged war crimes a day before he was killed.
The killing could sour the mood between Washington and Moscow as the two parties are expected to meet Friday to discuss the ongoing peace negotiations over Russia’s war in Ukraine.
Since last week’s Easter ceasefire, Russia has launched several massive drone strikes deep into Ukrainian territory. Earlier this week, Russia launched the largest attack on Kyiv in nearly a year, killing at least 12 people and injuring nearly. Three were killed and 10 injured Friday after a Russian drone struck an apartment building in a southeastern Ukraine city, The Associated Press reported.
The Kyiv strike angered Mr. Trump, who urged Mr. Putin to stop his attacks on Ukraine while peace talks are ongoing. The president has also been openly critical of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. On Wednesday, Mr. Trump slammed Mr. Zelenskyy’s rejection of Russian peace deals that handed over Crimea to Moscow. Mr. Trump argued that the Ukrainian president’s “inflammatory statements” were making the peace process harder.
