Secret burial held for Putin’s prime commander killed in Moscow bomb blast
Lt-Gen Igor Yerusalimov, 53, was reportedly one of five people killed in a bomb blast at an elite restaurant over the weekend and a secret burial has since been held for the Russian commander
Lt-Gen Igor Yerusalimov, 53, was killed over the weekend(Image: Will Stewart)
A secret burial has reportedly taken place for one of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s top commanders.
Lt-Gen Igor Yerusalimov, 53, was among five individuals who lost their lives in a bomb explosion at an upscale restaurant in Moscow over the weekend.
The Balzi Rossi restaurant was filled with high-ranking military officials, politicians and bureaucrats on Saturday, August 1, when the homemade device detonated.
The blast occurred during the 55th birthday celebration of senior commander Col-Gen Alexander Chayko, head of Russian Aerospace Forces.
Items being removed from the Balzi Rossi restaurant in Moscow after the incident(Image: Getty)
Yerusalimov was near the front of the restaurant when a female courier was intercepted by a security officer as she carried a “gift” intended for Chayko.
Reports suggest that the woman delivering the gift may have been unknowingly used as a “suicide bomber”.
Both the woman carrying the explosive and the security officer were among those killed in the incident.
Nine other individuals were injured in the blast.
Chayko is believed to have escaped unharmed.
Chayko commanded Russian forces on the Kyiv front during the Bucha Massacre, where his troops were accused of committing mass rapes and tortures.
Ukraine has labelled him a wanted “war criminal” due to his alleged role in the 2022 attacks.
His daughter Maria, 25, sustained serious injuries, including a “traumatic brain injury”, in the explosion on Saturday, while his son-in-law, Daniil Peredriy, 27, succumbed to injuries sustained in the blast, according to sources.
The Kremlin has kept the identities of the other casualties from a suspected Ukrainian special services operation under wraps.
Yerusalimov was the highest-ranking casualty of the explosions at the £85,000 party.
Igor Yerusalimov, 53,, was reportedly killed in the Moscow bomb blast(Image: East2West News)
According to Telegram channel VKCh-OGPU, which is closely connected with law enforcement, he had been promoted twice by Putin.
His burial, held under high security, took place at Troekurovskoye cemetery.
Yerusalimov’s death marks the latest in a series of over a dozen Russian generals who have lost their lives since Moscow initiated its full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
