After the assassination attempts on Russian generals, the country is instructing the military on how to reduce the risk of attack: they should change their routes, phones and even their appearance.
A few days after the explosion at a restaurant in Moscow, where the Commander-in-Chief of the Russian Aerospace Forces, Alexander Chaiko, was probably present, new data has emerged about both the explosion itself and the victims.
At the same time, photos of an instruction that is believed to be distributed by the Ministry of Defense have appeared on social networks. It advises military personnel to change their routes, phones and even their appearance to reduce the risk of assassination. But how effective are these measures and why do high-ranking Russian military personnel become targets of such attacks?
Who was injured in the restaurant explosion
After the explosion at the Balzi Rossi restaurant in central Moscow on the evening of August 1, it was initially reported that three people were killed and 21 injured, later Russian media reported that the number of victims was five.
Official channels reported almost nothing about what happened, only the newspaper "Kommersant" wrote, citing a source, that the explosive device was in a box brought by a woman who did not know what was inside. The security guard left the box by the entrance, which led to the explosion.
A number of Russian and Ukrainian Telegram channels claim that the restaurant was celebrating the 55th anniversary of the commander-in-chief of the Russian Aerospace Forces, Alexander Chaiko, and that he was probably the target of the attack. The Russian Foreign Ministry has blamed Ukraine for the explosion, without providing evidence. Kiev has not officially confirmed any involvement.
It has already been confirmed that Daniil Peredry, Chaiko's son-in-law, is among the dead, and it is believed that the general's daughter is also among the wounded. It has also become known that several funerals took place in Moscow between August 4 and 6. The Cheka-OGPU Telegram channel published photos of a wreath with the name of Lieutenant General Igor Erusalimov, as well as photos of the graves of Major General Valery Plokhotnik and Daniil Peredry. The websites "Mediazona" and "Agency" confirmed Plokhotnik's death in the state register. One of the general's personal documents was declared invalid on August 1, the day of the explosion in the restaurant.
The psychological effect of the explosion in Moscow
The former deputy head of the Security Service of Ukraine, Major General Viktor Yagun, wrote on the website Obozrevatel.com that if Alexander Chaiko was indeed in the restaurant and was the target of the assassination attempt, the incident shows a serious vulnerability in the security system of the Russian military-political elite. The organizers apparently had information about the place and time of the private event, as well as about the composition of the guests, which suggests that there was a leak of information from the general's entourage, from the restaurant, from the security or from state structures.
Ukrainian security expert Ivan Stupak also expressed to DW the assumption that information leaked from somewhere. But Yagun emphasizes that it is too early to draw conclusions - it is not known whether the general was really in the restaurant and whether the device was intended specifically for him. Moreover, the security guard did not let the woman with the box inside, i.e. the control system at least partially worked.
But even if the general had been killed, this would hardly have affected the work of the Russian aviation, Yagun believes, given that there are procedures for changing command in military structures. Much more important is the psychological effect of such attacks. They show the Russian elite that the war can overtake them far from the front - at home, in a company car or at a private party in the center of Moscow. Therefore, high-ranking military personnel are forced to change their routes, limit their circle of contacts and strengthen security, and the state is forced to spend more and more resources on internal security.
They suggest that the military defend themselves
In the context of the assassination attempts against Russian military personnel, a document called "Standard instructions for a serviceman and his family members on actions upon receipt of information about a planned assassination" appeared on social networks. It states that Ukrainian special services collected information about Russian military personnel and their families via the Internet, and before the attack they studied their addresses, daily routines and travel routes. Possible threats include blowing up a home or car, explosive devices in packages, food poisoning and armed attacks.
The authors of the instruction recommend that the military regularly change their routes, give up their usual jogging and other repetitive actions, do not order food deliveries, check their cars before leaving and park them in different places under cameras. In addition, they are suggested to turn off geolocation, change their phone numbers, delete their personal information from social networks and even periodically change their appearance - hairstyle, beard or glasses.
Ivan Stupak told DW that the published instruction is most likely a fact, some of the recommendations are reasonable, but others are comical - such as the one about changing appearance.
Since the end of 2024, at least three generals have been killed in assassination attempts in Moscow and the Moscow region. Three others, according to public information, were the target of an attack, but survived.