A high-ranking Russian general was killed Friday in an apparent car blast in the city of Balashikha near Moscow, TASS reported. Lieutenant General Yaroslav Moskalik, who served as the deputy head of the Main Operational Directorate of the Russian army’s General Staff, died after a Volkswagen Golf exploded in a residential area, authorities said. Investigators and forensic experts are still examining the scene of the explosion. Meanwhile criminal investigation has been opened as authorities suspect explosives rigged with shrapnel were used in the blast. The suspected attack follows the killing of Lt Gen Igor Kirillov, who died on 17 December when a bomb hidden on an electric scooter parked outside his apartment building exploded as he left for his office.