Jakarta, Indonesia Sentinel — A car bomb explosion rocked the city of Balashikha, located just outside Moscow, on Friday, April 25, 2025. Media reports that the incident also kills a senior Russian military general.
The blast occurred at approximately 10:40 a.m. local time. Reports suggest that the explosion was the result of a bomb hidden inside a parked car.
Russian news outlets, as reported by Reuters, identified the victim as General Yaroslav Moskalik, who served as the deputy head of the Main Operations Directorate of the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces.
“The explosion was caused by an improvised explosive device filled with metal fragments and designed to inflict maximum damage,” investigators said in an official statement, according to AFP.
Authorities said the bomb had been hidden inside a parked Volkswagen Golf. The bomb was detonated remotely as General Moskalik walked past the vehicle near his residence. The force of the explosion was reportedly powerful enough to hurl him several meters from the blast site.
Read Also:
President Prabowo Meets Russian Security Council Secretary Sergei Shoigu in Jakarta
Images circulating online and in Russian media appear to show debris and remnants of an improvised explosive device (IED) at the scene. Images circulating on social media showed the car engulfed in flames after the explosion, sending plumes of thick black smoke into the sky.
Authorities have not released details on who may be responsible for the attack. Moscow officials have launched an investigation and are reportedly not ruling out sabotage or terrorism as possible motives.
While Moskalik was known to reside in Balashikha, authorities noted that the Volkswagen Golf involved in the explosion was not registered under his name, adding another layer of mystery to an investigation that now includes possible charges of murder and explosives trafficking.
As of Friday evening, there has been no public comment from Russian officials regarding the potential political or security implications of the incident. The deadly explosion comes just days after three other blasts rattled the Russian capital, raising renewed concerns over internal security.
(Raidi/Agung)
