Senior Russian military officer killed in car blast near Moscow (WATCH)
Synopsis
A senior Russian military officer was killed when a car exploded on Friday in the town of Balashikha just east of Moscow, Russia's Investigative Committee said.
A senior Russian military officer was killed when a car exploded on Friday in the town of Balashikha just east of Moscow, Russia's Investigative Committee said. The blast was caused by an improvised explosive device packed with shrapnel.
Yaroslav Moskalik, deputy head of the Main Operations Directorate of the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces, was killed in a car blast of a Volkswagen Golf, and a criminal case has been taken into the incident.
"According to available data, the explosion occurred as a result of the detonation of a homemade explosive device filled with destructive elements," the Investigative Committee said in a statement , news agency Reuters reported.
Meanwhile, US President Donald Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff was expected to meet with Russian leader Vladimir Putin in the capital on Friday.
Russian state news agency Tass reported a special flight from the United States landing at the city’s Vnukovo airport just before news of the car bombing broke.
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.”