Lt. Gen. Igor Yerusalimov was buried on August 5, and Russian authorities have not said how he died or when.
Militarnyi reported the burial on August 6, citing OSINT reporter Necro Mancer and the Russian channel VChK-OGPU. A notice about the funeral appeared at 5:45 p.m. the day before in a community chat for Moscow’s Solntsevo district. Where he was laid to rest is unknown.
A second officer, an unidentified major general, was buried separately at Troekurovskoye Cemetery in Moscow, under heavy security. Federal Protective Service officers guarded the grounds from early morning, and several buses carrying Rosgvardia troops pulled up. Parking was banned nearby. Police and plainclothes personnel checked vehicles, and everyone entering, on foot or by car, went through security scanners.
An honor guard led the procession with the flag of the Russian Aerospace Forces, though a Ground Forces flag was set beside the grave. Witnesses described the dead man as a “fairly young” major general.
A restaurant blast on August 1
The secrecy has fed speculation that both men died in the August 1 explosion at Moscow’s Balzi Rossi restaurant. Reports say a guard and a restaurant visitor were among the dead and 21 people were injured. Some Russian outlets put the death toll at five. Authorities have not publicly named everyone killed.
One theory holds that the major general was a friend of Aerospace Forces commander Alexander Chaiko and was at a gathering for Chaiko’s 55th birthday. Pro-Russian bloggers have also linked the private event to that birthday. None of this has been confirmed.
Earlier reports said Russia had lost at least 19 generals by the start of 2026.
