Secret funeral held in Moscow for unnamed major general; he may have died in blast targeting Russian Aerospace Forces chief
An unnamed major general was buried secretly in Moscow, with reports suggesting he may have been a friend of Aerospace Forces Commander Alexander Chayko and died in a restaurant explosion that killed five.
An unnamed major general has been buried at Moscow's Troekurovskoye Cemetery, according to the anonymous Telegram channel VChK-OGPU. The channel's authors said the officer may have been a friend of Aerospace Forces Commander-in-Chief Alexander Chayko and died in the explosion at the Balzi Rossi restaurant.
The funeral was held in secrecy, the channel reported. Officers from the Federal Protective Service and the Russian National Guard were stationed at the cemetery from early morning, inspecting every vehicle entering and requiring visitors to pass through security scanners.
Eyewitnesses described the buried major general as "fairly young" and said he had previously served in the Ground Forces. A Russian Ground Forces flag stood next to the grave, while an honor guard carrying a flag of Russia's Aerospace Forces accompanied the procession.
The Telegram channel did not name the major general, and its authors said they could not confirm that he was actually present at the Balzi Rossi restaurant when the explosion occurred.
A homemade explosive device detonated at the Balzi Rossi restaurant in Moscow on August 1, killing five people — three at the scene and two more later in the hospital — and injuring another 19. An unidentified woman, believed to be a courier, brought in the device. No one has claimed responsibility for the blast, but Russia's Foreign Ministry blamed Ukraine.
According to media reports, Aerospace Forces Commander-in-Chief Alexander Chayko was celebrating his birthday at the restaurant that day. He was appointed to the post in May 2026; before that, he had commanded, among other assignments, the advance of Russian troops into the Kyiv region in 2022.
The names of those killed have not been officially released. It was previously reported that Chayko's son-in-law, Daniil Peredriy, died in the explosion — a claim supported by records in at least two government databases. It was also reported that Chayko's daughter, Maria, was injured in the blast.
