Main image:Tatyana Makeyeva / AFP
Lieutenant General Yaroslav Moskalik, who was killed in Balashikha near Moscow, had been tasked with compiling military briefings for Russian President Vladimir Putin regarding the situation in Ukraine. This responsibility was noted in his obituary published by Russia’s Ministry of Defense in Krasnaya Zvezda. According to the ministry, following the full-scale invasion, Moskalik led the General Staff’s Combat Control Group shift team, overseeing real-time monitoring of frontline developments.
Prior to that, from 2015 to 2021, Moskalik was part of the Minsk negotiation team working to resolve the conflict in Donbas. He also took part in the Normandy Format talks as a representative of Russia’s General Staff. Earlier in his career, he had been involved in planning military operations in Syria.
The 59-year-old general was killed on April 25 when a car parked near his apartment building exploded as he exited his home in Balashikha. He died at the scene. Russian authorities arrested 42-year-old Ignat Kuzin in connection with the attack. The FSB identified him as an "agent of Ukrainian intelligence services." On April 27, Moscow’s Basmanny District Court ordered his pre-trial detention on terrorism charges, which could result in a life sentence.
According to the FSB, Kuzin had purchased the vehicle used in the explosion and installed a homemade explosive device using components allegedly retrieved from a stash prepared by Ukrainian intelligence operatives in the Moscow region. During questioning, Kuzin reportedly admitted to being recruited in Kyiv Oblast in April 2023 and said he was acting on the orders of a handler when he carried out the assassination.
Ukrainian authorities confirmed that the operation was organized by their intelligence services. Roman Kostenko, Secretary of the Verkhovna Rada’s Committee on National Security, stated that Ukrainian forces will continue to target individuals involved in attacks against Ukrainian civilians.
