Context:

Lt. Gen. Yaroslav Moskalik, a senior Russian military commander, was killed in a car explosion in a Moscow suburb, marking another in a series of attacks targeting Ukraine's opponents within Russia. The explosion occurred in Balashikha as high-profile peace negotiations between President Trump’s envoy and President Putin continued, amidst escalating Russian airstrikes on Ukraine. The Ukrainian authorities have not commented on the incident, and while the Investigative Committee has launched an inquiry, no suspects have been named. Moskalik, who was involved in past peace talks with Ukraine, was a key figure in military operations planning and execution. This incident is part of a pattern of assassinations that include other prominent figures, suggesting ongoing tensions and unresolved conflicts between Russia and Ukraine.

Dive Deeper:

• Lt. Gen. Yaroslav Moskalik was killed in a car explosion in Balashikha, a suburb of Moscow, as part of a series of attacks on Ukraine's opponents in Russia. The Investigative Committee has opened a criminal inquiry into the incident but has not named any suspects.

• The explosion coincided with a meeting between President Trump’s special envoy and President Putin, amidst increasingly aggressive Russian airstrikes on Ukraine, which killed at least 12 and injured 90 in Kyiv.

• Ukraine's President Zelensky has called for increased pressure on Russia to achieve a complete and unconditional cease-fire, but Ukrainian authorities have not commented on Moskalik's assassination.

• Moskalik served as deputy head of the main operational department of the General Staff of the Russian armed forces and had participated in failed peace talks in Minsk with Ukraine in 2015.

• The assassination of Moskalik follows previous bombings that targeted pro-Russian figures and military officials within Russia, highlighting ongoing geopolitical tensions between the two nations.

• Video footage shows the aftermath of the explosion, with a charred Volkswagen Golf and secondary explosions seen and heard as people rushed to the scene.

• Similar attacks have previously killed figures like Armen Sarkisyan, Igor Kirillov, Maksim Fomin, and Daria Dugina, with varying degrees of attribution to Ukrainian involvement.