Evidence

Multiple independent outlets corroborate the underlying event and the VChK-OGPU claim. On August 1, 2026, an explosive device detonated at the Balzi Rossi restaurant in Moscow during a birthday celebration for Alexander Chaiko, the newly appointed commander-in-chief of Russia's Aerospace Forces, killing five and injuring around 20. The anonymous Telegram channel VChK-OGPU first reported that an unnamed major general was secretly buried at Troyekurovskoye Cemetery on August 5 and speculated he may have died in the blast as a friend of Chaiko's who attended the party. Independent Russian outlets Meduza, Mediazona and Agentstvo subsequently identified the man as Major General Valery Plokhotnyuk and, crucially, cross-checked state registry data showing one of his personal documents was invalidated on August 1 (the date of the explosion) — providing independent corroboration beyond the anonymous Telegram channel's initial claim. Outlets including Euromaidan Press, Militarnyi, RFE/RL's Systema project, The Daily Beast and Mezha also reported the same identification and circumstances, and noted Chaiko's son-in-law Daniil Peredriy was confirmed (via registries) to have died the same day. Reports consistently caveat that Plokhotnyuk's presence at the restaurant, and thus the exact cause of death, has not been officially confirmed by Russian authorities, who have not released victims' names; the characterization remains 'likely' rather than certain, matching the original claim's own phrasing.