A car bomb exploded in a moving BMW near Moscow at about 05:30 local time, killing a 57-year-old man. Bloggers have claimed, without official confirmation, that the victim may have been a senior officer in Russia's rocket forces. Kommersant reported the device was placed under the car's floor and contained up to 0.5 kg of explosives. Authorities have opened criminal proceedings and carried out a controlled explosion on a separate suspicious object the same evening.
Car Bomb Kills Man Near Moscow Amid Unconfirmed Claims He Was Senior Rocket Forces Officer
FILE PHOTO - Russian President Vladimir Putin meets with Alexander Bastrykin (not pictured), head of the Investigative Committee of Russia, in St. Petersburg. (is associated with: «Car bomb kills man near Moscow amid speculation over his military rank») -/Kremlin/dpa
A man was killed when a car bomb detonated in a moving BMW near Moscow early on Tuesday, Russian investigators said, while online commentators and bloggers claimed — without official confirmation — that the victim may have been a senior officer in Russia's rocket forces.
The Investigative Committee of Russia said the explosion occurred at about 05:30 local time (02:30 GMT) and that criminal proceedings have been opened. Authorities have not publicly confirmed the victim's rank or provided further details about a suspect or motive.
Kommersant reported that the device was placed under the vehicle's floor and contained up to half a kilogram of explosives. Local reports identify the victim as a 57-year-old resident of Balashikha, whose name and address are said to have appeared on a publicly available "enemies of Ukraine" list since 2023; that claim has not been independently verified.
In a related development on Tuesday evening, officials carried out a controlled explosion to neutralize a suspicious object in south-west Moscow. Earlier this year, in April 2025, a general from the Russian General Staff was also killed by a car bomb in Balashikha, on Moscow's eastern outskirts.
These incidents come amid the wider backdrop of the war between Russia and Ukraine. According to multiple open-source reports, Ukrainian intelligence services have in the past targeted Russian military personnel and collaborators, sometimes using explosive devices. No official agency has claimed responsibility for the latest attack, and the investigation is ongoing.
Note: Several key details remain unconfirmed. The identity and military rank of the victim have not been officially published; online claims should be treated as unverified until confirmed by investigators.
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