Was Russian General Killed By Ukraine - Or By Kremlin Competitor?

A Russian general serving on the General Staff and about to receive a major promotion was assassinated by a car bomb in a Moscow suburb.

Russian authorities were quick to blame Ukrainian special forces - which would be bad enough. But other reports suggest that given how lucrative the most senior positions in the Russian military can be - and given that officials on the General Staff live in closely guarded, often anonymous protection, it may well be that he was killed by a competing faction or individual within the Russian military. JL

Shane Croucher reports in Newsweek and Anna Fechan reports in Espreso Global:

Russian General Yaroslav Moskalik was killed when a car bomb exploded as he walked past just outside Moscow. The Russian foreign ministry said there is "reason to believe Ukrainian intelligence services were involved in the assassination". (But) he was in line for a major promotion. At the high military level in Russia, competitors are removed to gain favor and advance, as it is a path to enormous wealth. "such high-ranking officers from the General Staff live undercover, they have fabricated identities — apartments, surnames. This indicates the main danger officials of the Russian General Staff and Ministry of Defense feel, is that they can be betrayed and ordered to be killed by their own." 

Russian General Yaroslav Moskalik was killed when a car bomb exploded as he walked past in Balashikha, a city just outside the capital, Moscow, authorities confirmed.

Maria Zakharova, spokeswoman for the Russian foreign ministry, said there is "reason to believe that Ukrainian intelligence services were involved in the assassination".

Moskalik was Deputy Chief of the Main Operational Directorate of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation and had represented the defense ministry

 

Why it Matters

The attack came as U.S. Special Envoy Steve Witkoff arrived in Moscow to discuss with Russian President Vladimir Putin his peace proposals for ending the war on Ukraine, a fragile process where a lack of progress and the actions of both sides have frustrated President Donald Trump.

Ongoing strikes that are hitting residential areas and bombings such as these threaten the negotiations on peace, applying pressure to an already strained process.

In this handout photo released by OSTOROZHNO NOVOSTI, flames and smoke rise from the scene where Lt. Gen. Yaroslav Moskalik, a deputy head of the main operational department in the General Staff of the Russian...  OSTOROZHNO NOVOSTI via AP

What to Know

The improvised explosive device was packed with shrapnel and there was a gas cylinder inside the vehicle that fueled the blast. The car was outside a residential unit.Videos shared from the scene show a burning car and a man's remains amid the charred damage. One video appeared to show the moment of the explosion.

Investigators have opened a murder case, but did not mention possible suspects. However, Zakharova later said Ukrainian intelligence is suspected to be involved. noted that Moskalik "had been known to them since his time working with the Minsk Contact Group and the Normandy Format on the settlement of the conflict in southeastern Ukraine."

 

"If the investigation confirms Ukrainian involvement, it will once again demonstrate to the international community the barbaric and treacherous nature of the Kyiv regime, which is relying on the escalation of military confrontation with Russia and irresponsibly disregards constructive proposals aimed at finding a peaceful resolution to the conflict," Zakharova said in a statement posted to Telegram.

It follows the killing of Lt. Gen. Igor Kirillov, who died on December 17 when a bomb hidden on an electric scooter parked outside his apartment building exploded as he left for his office. The Russian authorities blamed Ukraine for the killing of Kirillov.

Kirillov was the chief of Russia's Radiation, Biological and Chemical Protection Forces, the special troops tasked with protecting the military from the enemy's use of nuclear, chemical or biological weapons and ensuring operations in a contaminated environment. Kirillov's assistant also died in the attack.

Espreso - Valentyn Nalyvaichenko, an MP and former Ukraine's Security Service chief, stated that Yaroslav Moskalik, a general of the Russian Defense Ministry’s General Staff, who was killed in a car blast on April 25 in Moscow region, was supposed to be appointed to a key operational position coordinating all criminal military operations against Ukraine

He shared the information on Espreso TV.

"In reality, this assassinated general from the Russian General Staff held a very important position. In my opinion, it was the highest-ranking position among those Russian military officials who have been eliminated in recent years. 

Moreover, he had prospects and, as far as I know, was being considered within the Russian military leadership for a key operational role coordinating all criminal military operations against Ukraine. In other words, within the criminal military hierarchy of Russia, he was climbing the ladder," noted Valentyn Nalyvaichenko.

According to him, the killing of such a high-ranking military official in Russia, especially right before his appointment to a new position, is a signal that any of them can be and will be eliminated.

"I'll add a bit more spice: such high-ranking officials from the General Staff live undercover, they have fabricated identities — apartments, surnames, and everything else. That is, all the data on such ranks are changed and unknown to anyone. And this indicates that the main danger, which the high-ranking officials of the Russian General Staff and Ministry of Defense feel, is that they are most likely being betrayed, blown up, or ordered to be killed by their own. 

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Therefore, I would not rule out this version either. Now all these high-ranking criminals understand that they cannot hide from responsibility even with changed names and fabricated lives," noted the former head of the SBU.

Nalyvaichenko does not rule out the version that at the high military level in Russia, they are removing competitors in this way to gain favor and advance, as it is a path to enormous wealth. After all, it is known that since 2014, Russian commanders and generals have enriched themselves the most and looted Ukrainian lands.

• On April 25, in the town of Balashikha, Moscow region, a car explosion killed Yaroslav Moskalik, a general of the Russian Defense Ministry’s General Staff.