June 9, 2026 1:57 pm

by Polina Moroziuk

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A man was killed in a car explosion in the city of Balashikha, located about 10 kilometers (6 miles) from Moscow, on the morning of June 9, Russian independent outlet Astra and Russian authorities reported.

Authorities have not disclosed the identity of the man who was in the BMW X3 at the time of the explosion in Moscow Oblast. The Russian Telegram channel Shot reported that the victim was 62 years old.

The explosion occurred at around 5:30 a.m. local time while the vehicle was moving near an apartment building on Koldunova Street in Balashikha’s Aviatorov district, according to Russia’s Investigative Committee.

The device under the driver’s seat had an estimated yield of 300–400 grams of TNT equivalent, according to Russian Telegram channel 112.

The man died from multiple injuries sustained in the explosion. Russia’s Investigative Committee announced the opening of a criminal case but did not specify under what charge.

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/1:231×A car explodes in Balashikha, Moscow Oblast, killing a man whose identity has not been disclosed, on June 9, 2026. (Balashikha Rulit/Telegram)

The Aviatorov district is a residential area originally built for Russian military personnel and their families. Built on the site of a former military base, its apartments were allocated through Russia’s Defense Ministry to military retirees, combat veterans, and families of service members, according to Astra.

The blast occurred less than one kilometer from the site where Lieutenant General Yaroslav Moskalik, deputy chief of the Main Operations Directorate of Russia’s General Staff, was killed in a car bombing in April 2025, Astra reported.

The cause of the explosion remains unclear. Kyiv had not commented on the incident in Moscow Oblast at the time of publication.

Kyiv has previously targeted Russian military officials and other figures who play a key role in Russia’s full-scale invasion, though no evidence has yet linked Ukraine to the Balashikha explosion.

(C)THE KYIV INDEPENDENT 2026