Russian security services have taken into custody a man suspected of orchestrating a deadly car explosion that claimed the life of a general just outside Moscow, according to a statement from the FSB, Russia’s secret service.
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The Kremlin has placed the blame squarely on Ukraine for the blast that occurred yesterday, which resulted in the death of Lieutenant General Yaroslav Moskalik, the deputy head of the military’s main operational division. In a revealing statement, the FSB noted, “Ukrainian special services agent Ignat Kuzin, born in 1983 and a resident of Ukraine, planted explosives in a Volkswagen Golf in the city of Balashikha, killing Lieutenant General Moskalik.”
The agency reported that Mr. Kuzin had rigged the vehicle with a homemade explosive device, allegedly taken from a Ukrainian special services stash in the Moscow region, and that the bomb was detonated remotely from Ukraine.
In an intriguing twist, Ukraine has yet to comment on the incident, which appears to share similarities with previous attacks targeted at military figures and prominent supporters of the Kremlin’s military actions over the past three years.
In response to the ongoing conflict, the Russian army has declared the complete liberation of the border Kursk region from Ukrainian control, attributing this achievement to the involvement of North Korean troops. Chief of Staff Valery Gerasimov publicly acknowledged for the first time the participation of North Korean forces, praising their “heroism” and asserting they had “provided significant assistance in defeating the group of Ukrainian armed forces.”
However, the Ukrainian military quickly countered these claims, asserting that “statements by the enemy leadership about the ‘defeat’ of the Ukrainian troops are nothing more than propaganda tricks.” The chief of staff for Ukraine did concede that the battlefield situation was “difficult” but emphasized that Ukrainian forces remained in control of positions in Kursk.
Moreover, the Ukrainian army stated it was actively continuing operations in certain areas of Belgorod, another border region with Russia. According to intelligence reports from South Korean and Western sources, over 10,000 North Korean soldiers were dispatched to Russia last year to bolster Moscow’s efforts amid Ukraine’s intense counteroffensive in Kursk.
As the conflict continues to unfold, Kyiv had hoped to leverage land in the Kursk region as a potential bargaining tool in future peace negotiations with Russia, which has aggressively seized territory in eastern and southern Ukraine since launching its offensive in 2022. “Today, the last settlement in the Kursk region, the village of Gornal, has been liberated from Ukrainian forces,” Gerasimov noted during a video conference with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Mr. Putin expressed gratitude to the soldiers for their service, declaring, “The Kyiv regime’s adventure has completely failed,” and suggested that the liberation of Kursk would set the stage for further advancements on various fronts.
Edited By Ali Musa
Axadle Times International – Monitoring.
