Russian general killed in car blast just outside Moscow ahead of expected Witkoff-Putin meeting

A senior Russian general has died in a car bombing in the Russian city of Balashikha on Friday, according to authorities, with news of the blast breaking just as US President Donald Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff was expected to meet with Russian leader Vladimir Putin in Moscow.

Yaroslav Moskalik, deputy head of the Main Operations Directorate of the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces, was killed in the explosion of a Volkswagen Golf, Russia’s Investigative Committee said in a statement.

The blast was caused by an improvised explosive device packed with shrapnel, it added. Balashikha lies less than 20 miles east of Moscow.

Meanwhile, Russian state news agency Tass reported a special flight from the United States landing at the city’s Vnukovo airport ahead of the expected meeting between Witkoff and Putin. There are no regular flights between the US and Russia due to sanctions.

Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said Moscow was “ready to reach a deal” on ending the war in Ukraine in an interview with CBS News on Thursday, but added that there were still some specific points that needed to be “fine-tuned.”

‘Homemade’ explosive device
Russia’s Investigative Committee said it has opened a criminal probe into the explosion in Balashikha. It added that an investigative team, including forensic experts and law enforcement officers, had begun examining the scene.

Tass earlier reported that an explosive device had blown up a car in the city, citing emergency services. It also reported that the device was “homemade.”

Friday’s reported blast comes two days after a fire broke at an underground car park in Moscow’s business district following an explosion there.