Russian security officials have announced the detention of a suspect believed to be linked to a car bomb attack that resulted in the death of a senior Russian general in the suburbs of Moscow on Friday. The Federal Security Service (FSB) claims it has captured a Ukrainian national identified as Ignat Kuzi, who is accused of planting explosives in a Volkswagen Golf to target General Yaroslav Moskalik.
General Moskalik, who served as the deputy head of the main operational directorate of Russia’s military General Staff, was killed when he walked past the vehicle parked near his residence in Balashikha. According to the FSB, Kuzi was responsible for rigging the car with a homemade explosive device, which was allegedly detonated remotely from Ukraine.
Details of the Detention
The FSB further reported that Kuzi had been recruited by Ukrainian intelligence services in 2023 and had traveled to Moscow in September of the same year. Russian media have also circulated a video purportedly showing the detained individual confessing to his involvement, alongside footage capturing his arrest and revealing components used in the bomb.
Kremlin’s Response
The Kremlin has publicly accused Ukraine of orchestrating the attack, asserting that Kyiv “continues its involvement in terrorist activities inside our country.” General Moskalik was notably involved in negotiations with Ukraine in Paris in 2015, which culminated in the unsuccessful Minsk agreements aimed at resolving the conflict in Donbas that erupted in 2014.
Since the onset of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, tensions between the two nations have escalated dramatically, leading to a series of violent confrontations and acts of aggression.