One of Putin's key people got killed VIDEO

Born in 1966, during his military career Moskalik was one of Russia's key operational commanders, in charge of strategic military operations at the highest level. He played a significant role in diplomatic negotiations during the war in eastern Ukraine and represented the Russian General Staff in the negotiations with Ukraine in Paris in 2015, as well as during meetings as part of the so-called Normandy format, where, along with Russia, Germany, France and Ukraine also participated.

According to reports, Moskalik was killed when an improvised explosive device with embedded shrapnel detonated next to a parked vehicle. The explosion was so powerful that the windows of nearby buildings were broken. The Russian Investigative Committee confirmed that the device was activated by remote control and classified the case as a murder.

A video of the moment of the explosion was also published.

Killed on the day of Trump's negotiator's arrival in Moscow

His death comes as diplomatic efforts to reach a possible peace deal on the war in Ukraine continue, including the arrival of US special envoy Steve Witkoff, who arrived in Moscow today. Moskalik is the tenth Russian general to die since the beginning of the invasion of Ukraine in 2022.

As the BBC's reporter for Russia Olga Ivshina writes, Moskalik was respected within the Russian state and military system and considered a general "with pronounced analytical abilities". Ivshina also points out that Russia has lost generals on the battlefield before, but that Ukraine is now clearly using tactics to target high-ranking officials inside Russian territory as well.

The attack on Moskalik reminded of the previous case from December 2024, when General Igor Kirillov was killed in a similar way in Moscow. And then both the Ukrainian and Russian authorities identified the Ukrainian intelligence services as the perpetrators.