At least six assassination attempts have targeted Russian generals away from the front line over the past two years — three of them fatal
Since the start of the full-scale invasion, senior Russian generals have not only died at the front but have also become targets of attacks in the rear. At least three generals have died in bombings in Moscow and the Moscow region; another was shot but survived. The most recent apparent target was Alexander Chayko, who was appointed head of Russia’s Aerospace Forces in May 2026. Telegram channels have identified him as the target of an explosion that occurred on August 1 at the Balzi Rossi restaurant in Moscow. Almost no official statements followed from the authorities, aside from a comment from Moscow Mayor Sergey Sobyanin, who called the explosion a terrorist attack. Here is everything known about the attempts on Russian generals in the rear.
↓
Igor Kirillov, head of Russia’s Radioactive, Chemical, and Biological Defense Forces, became the first senior general killed in a sabotage attack when a bomb attached to a scooter exploded as he left his building on Ryazansky Prospekt in Moscow. His aide, Ilya Polikarpov, died in the same blast. During questioning, the perpetrator said Ukrainian intelligence services had recruited him, and he was later sentenced to life in prison.
↓
Lieutenant General Yaroslav Moskalik, deputy head of the Russian General Staff’s Main Operations Directorate, was killed in an explosion in Balashikha, outside Moscow, when a bomb planted in a Volkswagen parked in an apartment building’s courtyard detonated as he approached the car. According to leaked information, the car did not belong to him. Investigators detained Ignat Kuzin on charges of murdering Moskalik, describing him as an “agent of Ukrainian intelligence services.” He, too, was sentenced to life in prison.
↓
Lieutenant General Fanil Sarvarov, head of the Russian General Staff’s operational training directorate, was killed when his car exploded in a parking lot on Yasenevaya Street in southern Moscow. He had already gotten into the car and driven a few meters before it blew up. The Investigative Committee opened a criminal case after Sarvarov’s killing, but no detainees or suspects have been reported.
↓
Lieutenant General Vladimir Alekseyev, first deputy head of the Russian General Staff’s Main Directorate, was shot at in an apartment building’s lobby on Volokolamskoye Highway in Moscow as he left his apartment. Alekseyev is known, among other things, for taking part in negotiations with the head of the Russian mercenary group Wagner during Yevgeny Prigozhin’s mutiny, talks held at the Southern Military District headquarters in Rostov-on-Don alongside Deputy Defense Minister Yunus-bek Yevkurov. Investigators have described Alekseyev as one of the main overseers of Russia’s “volunteer” units fighting in the war with Ukraine.
↓
Major General Azatbek Omurbekov commanded the 64th Motorized Rifle Brigade, which invaded the Kyiv region in 2022; Ukrainian authorities hold troops from that brigade responsible for killing and torturing civilians in the town of Bucha. Only anonymous Telegram channels have reported an assassination attempt against Omurbekov. The anonymous Russian Telegram channel VChK-OGPU said an explosive device had been placed in a mailbox at a military garrison in the village of Knyaze-Volkonskoye-1, in Khabarovsk Krai, and that the explosion killed the commander of a training communications battalion. Nothing else is known about the attempt.
↓
Colonel General Alexander Chayko ranks among the highest-profile generals targeted in an assassination attempt. Chayko, who was appointed head of Russia’s Aerospace Forces in May 2026 and turned 55 at the end of July, was reportedly celebrating both his birthday and his new appointment on August 1 when an explosion occurred near the Balzi Rossi restaurant in a high-rise on Barrikadnaya in Moscow. He has never officially been named in connection with the attack, though Telegram channels have reported he was the target, and the Investigative Committee has not yet announced whether it has opened a criminal case. National television channels have said almost nothing about the explosion.
At Meduza, we are committed to transparency about our use of artificial intelligence in the newsroom. The story you’re reading was written by one of our living, breathing journalists and translated from Russian using an AI model configured to follow our strict editorial standards. This translation process is the result of extensive testing and refinements to ensure our English-language coverage is timely and accurate. A Meduza editor reviews every draft before publication.
If you find any errors in this translation, please contact us at reports@meduza.io.
To read Meduza’s exclusive content in English, please subscribe to our newsletter.