Senior Russian general killed in car explosion near Moscow

On April 25, 2025, a car bomb in Balashikha, a Moscow suburb, killed Lt. Gen. Yaroslav Moskalik, deputy head of Russia’s General Staff operations, amid stalled Ukraine cease-fire talks. Russia’s Investigative Committee launched a criminal probe into the blast, which mirrors prior assassinations blamed on Ukraine. Moskalik, a key figure in failed 2015 Minsk peace talks, died as Trump’s envoy, Steve Witkoff, met Putin in the Kremlin to push for peace. Putin has rejected Trump’s calls for a swift resolution, with Russian airstrikes intensifying, including a Kyiv attack killing 12 and injuring 90. Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelensky demanded more pressure on Moscow for a “complete, unconditional cease-fire.” Ukraine offered no comment on Moskalik’s death. Verified footage showed the car exploding, igniting, and sending smoke skyward, with secondary blasts heard nearby.