Car bomb kills man near Moscow amid speculation over his military rank

A man has been killed by a car bomb near the Russian capital Moscow, with unconfirmed reports suggesting the victim was a colonel or even a general in the Russian rocket forces, Ukrainian and Russian bloggers suggested on Tuesday.

The explosion occurred in a moving BMW at around 5:30 am (0230 GMT), the Investigative Committee of Russia said, adding that proceedings had been opened without specifying the direction of the investigation.

According to the newspaper Kommersant, the bomb, which was made from up to half a kilogram of explosives, had been placed under the floor of the vehicle.

The address of the 57-year-old victim in Balashikha is believed to have been on a publicly accessible enemies of Ukraine list since 2023.

In April 2025, a general from the Russian General Staff was also killed by a car bomb in the city on the eastern outskirts of Moscow.

Towards Tuesday evening, authorities also neutralized a suspicious object in south-western Moscow by carrying out a controlled explosion.

Ukraine has been defending itself against a full-scale Russian invasion for more than four years.

Ukrainian intelligence services regularly carry out attacks on Russian military personnel and Ukrainians who collaborate with Russia, often using car bombs.