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By Shane Croucher
Senior Editor
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Russian Lt. 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 in past negotiations with Ukraine.
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Newsweek has contacted the Ukrainian foreign ministry's press office for comment via email.
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.
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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.
She 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.
What People Are Saying
U.S. Vice President JD Vance told reporters: "We've issued a very explicit proposal to both the Russians and the Ukrainians, and it's time for them to either say yes, or for the United States to walk away from this process.
"We have engaged in an extraordinary amount of diplomacy, of on-the-ground work. We've really tried to understand things from the perspective of both the Ukrainians and the Russians...and I think that we've put together a very fair proposal."
This article includes reporting by The Associated Press.
Update, 4/25/25, 10:20 a.m. ET: Comments from Zakharova were added.
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