A senior Russian general was killed in a car bombing in Moscow on Tuesday, June 9, 2026, after his son may have inadvertently disclosed his location by posting a photograph of the vehicle's license plate on social media, according to reports.
Details of the Attack
The car, believed to belong to Lieutenant General Davydov, was set ablaze in the Moscow suburb of Balashikha. The 57-year-old Putin ally was pulled from the burning wreckage of a BMW X3 and pronounced dead at the scene. The explosion had the force of up to 500 grams of TNT, causing the vehicle to burst into flames from the boot and back seats before rolling into a parked car.
Possible Security Lapse
Davydov's whereabouts may have been revealed due to a careless mistake by his son, Rafael, a Russian military cadet. A social media post reportedly from Rafael shows him posing next to the exact car involved in the explosion. The license plate number, clearly visible in the image, may have been used by assassins to track down the general.
Official Response
Russian authorities have launched an investigation into the suspected assassination. Another car bomb was reportedly found and destroyed in southwest Moscow. Ukrainian authorities have yet to comment on the attack. Davydov's identity has not yet been officially confirmed, but he headed the Kremlin's defense ministry missile and artillery wing, supplying weapons to Russian forces on the front lines.
Previous Assassination
The blast occurred less than a mile from where Lieutenant General Yaroslav Moskalik was killed in a car bombing last year. Moskalik, 59, was taken out by a remote-controlled car bomb as he walked toward a Volkswagen near Moscow.
Heightened Security
The security lapse comes amid reports that a paranoid President Putin has moved his daughters, Maria Vorontsova, 41, and Katerina Tikhonova, 39, into his heavily guarded forest palace complex at Valdai on the Black Sea. The complex is protected by dozens of air defense systems, making it one of the safest locations in Russia. Putin has also ordered urgent checks on the country's surveillance camera network, fearing it could be hacked by enemies and used to track his movements.
