Russian General Killed in Car Bombing Near Moscow During U.S. Envoy Visit

Lt. Gen. Yaroslav Moskalik, a senior Russian military officer and deputy head of the General Staff's main operations directorate, was killed in a car bombing near Moscow, with Russian investigators reporting a homemade explosive device filled with shrapnel as the cause. The attack took place in Balashikha just as U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff arrived in Moscow for peace talks with President Putin regarding the war in Ukraine. No party has claimed responsibility for the assassination, but the method mirrors previous attacks on Russian officials, some of which have been attributed to Ukrainian special services. Russian authorities have opened a criminal case but have not named any suspects. The killing comes amid ongoing efforts to negotiate an end to the protracted conflict and follows the December assassination of another Russian general, Lt. Gen. Igor Kirillov, in a similar bombing. The incident has the potential to strain already tense relations between Washington, Moscow, and Kyiv during a critical period of diplomatic engagement.