A man died in a car explosion in the Moscow suburb of Balashikha, and according to unconfirmed information, the victim may be a high-ranking officer of the Russian missile forces. The Russian Investigative Committee reported that the explosion occurred at around 5:30 p.m. and an investigation into the case has already begun, BTA reports.
According to information from Russian media, an explosive device with a power of about half a kilogram of TNT equivalent was placed under the BMW car. It is also reported that the address of the 57-year-old deceased was on a publicly available list of persons identified as opponents of Ukraine.
The case is reminiscent of a similar attack from last year, when a general from the Russian General Staff was killed after a car explosion in the Moscow region. Later that evening, Russian security forces defused a suspicious object in the southwest of the capital with a controlled explosion.
Amid the incident, Ukrainian drones attacked a history museum in Sevastopol in annexed Crimea. According to local authorities, the roof of the building dedicated to the Crimean War was hit. There are no reports of casualties.
Due to the increased attacks, Crimean authorities have announced changes to night train services. The decision comes after a recent drone strike that killed an assistant train driver and injured a colleague.
Drone attacks have also been recorded in other parts of Russia. In the Samara region, air defenses have been activated near Novokuybyshevsk, a region of key importance to the Russian oil industry. Authorities temporarily suspended public transport and urged residents to take shelter.
In the Rostov region, falling debris from a drone caused a fire at a fuel depot, and the mayor of Moscow reported new attempts to attack the capital. Air alerts were also issued in a number of remote Russian regions, including the Urals and Western Siberia, underscoring the growing scope of Ukrainian strikes on Russian territory.