Over The Past Two Years, There Have Been At Least Six Assassination Attempts On Russian Generals Behind Enemy Lines
- 3.08.2026, 22:54
Three of them died.
Since the start of the full-scale war, high-ranking Russian generals have not only been killed on the front lines but have also become targets of sabotage behind the lines. At least three generals have been killed in explosions in Moscow and the Moscow region; another was shot but survived. The latest victim was likely to be Alexander Chaiko, who was appointed head of Russia’s Aerospace Forces in May 2026. Telegram channels specifically name him as the target of the explosion that occurred on August 1 at the Balzi Rossi restaurant in a high-rise building on Barrikadnaya Street in Moscow. However, virtually no official statements were issued by the authorities in response—except for a comment by Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin, who called the explosion a terrorist attack. “Meduza” lists everything that is known about the assassination attempts on Russian generals behind the front lines.
December 2024
The commander of the Russian Federation’s Radiological, Chemical, and Biological Defense Forces Igor Kirillov became the first high-ranking general to be killed in a sabotage attack. He was killed as he was leaving his home on Ryazansky Prospekt in Moscow by a bomb attached to a scooter. His assistant, Ilya Polikarpov, was killed alongside him. During interrogation, the perpetrator of the attack stated that he had been recruited by Ukrainian intelligence services. He was sentenced to life in prison.
April 2025
Lieutenant General Yaroslav Moskalyk, deputy chief of the Main Operational Directorate of the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces, was killed in an explosion in Balashikha, near Moscow. The bomb had been planted in a Volkswagen parked in the courtyard of a residential building. It exploded when Moskalyk approached the car (according to leaks, it did not belong to him). Ignat Kuzin, whom investigators described as an “agent of the Ukrainian special services,” was arrested on charges of murdering Moskalyk. He was also sentenced to life in prison.
December 2025
The head of the Operational Training Directorate of the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces, Lieutenant General Fanil Sarvarov, was killed when his car was blown up. The explosion occurred in a parking lot on Yasenevaya Street in southern Moscow. The general had managed to get into the car and drive a few meters. Following Sarvarov’s assassination, the Investigative Committee opened a criminal case, but no arrests or suspects were reported.
February 2026
Lieutenant General Vladimir Alekseev was shot in the lobby of an apartment building on Volokolamskoye Shosse in Moscow as he was leaving his apartment. Alekseev held the position of first deputy chief of the Main Directorate of the General Staff of the Russian Federation. He is known in particular for having participated, during Yevgeny Prigozhin’s mutiny, in negotiations with the head of the Wagner PMC at the Southern Military District headquarters in Rostov-on-Don, alongside Deputy Defense Minister Yunus-Bek Yevkurov. Investigators have identified Alekseev as one of the main supervisors of the Russian “volunteer” units participating in the war against Ukraine.
April 2026
Major General Azatbek Omurbekov commanded the 64th Motorized Rifle Brigade in 2022, which invaded the Kyiv region. Ukrainian authorities believe soldiers from this brigade were involved in the killings and torture of civilians in the city of Bucha. Only anonymous Telegram channels reported on the assassination attempt against Omurbekov. According to the “VChK-OGPU” channel, an explosive device was planted in a mailbox on the grounds of a military garrison in the village of Knyaze-Volkonskoye-1 in the Khabarovsk Krai. The commander of the communications training battalion was killed in the explosion. Nothing else is known about this assassination attempt.
August 2026
Colonel General Alexander Chaiko is one of the highest-ranking generals among those who have been the targets of assassination attempts. In May 2026, Chaiko was appointed head of the Russian Federation’s Aerospace Forces. He turned 55 at the end of July. On August 1, an explosion occurred in Moscow at the Balzi Rossi restaurant in a high-rise building on Barrikadnaya Street, where Chaiko was reportedly celebrating his birthday along with his appointment. His name was not officially mentioned anywhere (Telegram channels report that he was the target of the attack), and the Investigative Committee has not yet announced the opening of a criminal case. Federal TV channels reported virtually nothing about the explosion.