Russian media sites have reported that a high-ranking Russian military officer has been killed after a car explosion in the town of Balashikha in the Moscow region.

Media outlets Mash and Baza named the officer as Yaroslav Moskalik, deputy head of the Main Operations Directorate of the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces.

Authorities gave no initial confirmation about what happened or the identity of the individual targeted.

Baza, which has sources inside Russian law enforcement, said a bomb in a parked car was detonated remotely when the officer, who lived nearby, walked past it.