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Chief of Russian chemical defense forces killed in Moscow blast
Lieutenant General Igor Kirillov was one of two victims of the explosion near a residential building
- Russian investigators said an improvised explosive device (IED) packed with about 300 grams of TNT was likely attached to an electric scooter near the building’s entrance.
- It was possibly detonated remotely, likely by a radio signal or mobile phone.
- The blast shattered windows, damaged the building’s entrance, and destroyed the parked vehicle.
The investigative team is analyzing surveillance footage and mobile phone data from the area to track potential suspects, it added.
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In October, the UK sanctioned him over claims of chemical weapons use in Ukraine, accusations Moscow has consistently denied. It insists it destroyed such materials back in 2017.
- Investigators are considering whether the attack was intended to coincide with the major annual Ministry of Defense meeting, Russian media outlets report.
- Officials believe the perpetrators were likely paid for their involvement.
General killed in Moscow a legitimate target, says Ukraine
Amy Walker & Christy Cooney
BBC News
0:37
Russian general killed by bomb in residential Moscow building
Lt Gen Igor Kirillov, head of the Nuclear, Biological, Chemical Defence Forces (NBC), was outside a residential block early on Tuesday when a device hidden in a scooter was detonated remotely, Russia's Investigative Committee said.
A source in Ukraine's SBU security service claimed Kirillov was "a legitimate target" and alleging he had carried out war crimes.
Russia warns Ukraine faces imminent revenge for killing of top general Igor Kirillov
Kirillov, the head of Russia’s nuclear defence forces, died along with his aide in a hit carried out by Kyiv’s intelligence service
A top Russian general accused by Ukraine of being responsible for the use of chemical weapons against Ukrainian troops was assassinated in Moscow by Ukraine’s SBU intelligence service on Tuesday morning in the most high-profile killing of its kind.
Lieutenant General Igor Kirillov, who was chief of Russia’s Nuclear, Biological and Chemical Protection Troops, was killed outside a residential building along with his assistant when a bomb hidden in an electric scooter went off, Russia’s Investigative Committee, which probes serious crimes, said.
An SBU source confirmed that the Ukrainian intelligence agency had been behind the hit. “The liquidation of the chief of the radiation and chemical protection troops of the Russian Federation is the work of the SBU,” the source said.
The source said that a scooter containing explosives was detonated, killing both Kirillov and his aide, as they stepped into the entrance of a house on Ryazansky Prospekt in Moscow.
Kirillov, 54, is the most senior Russian military officer to be assassinated inside Russia by Ukraine and his murder is likely to prompt the Russian authorities to review security protocols for the army’s top brass and to find a way to avenge his killing.
“Realising the inevitability of its military defeat, it launches cowardly and despicable strikes in peaceful cities,” he said.
Moscow holds Ukraine responsible for a string of high-profile assassinations on its soil designed to weaken morale and punish those Kyiv regards guilty of war crimes. Ukraine, which says Russia’s war against it poses an existential threat to the Ukrainian state, has made clear it regards such targeted killings as a legitimate tool.
Reuters photographs and video from the scene showed a shattered entrance to a residential building with bomb-blackened bricks and the doors hanging off their hinges and what looked like two bodies lying beneath black plastic sheets on the snow.
Investigators said they had opened a criminal case into the murder of two servicemen. Law enforcement sources told Russian media a terrorism case was likely to be opened.
Russia denies Ukrainian allegations it uses chemical weapons on the battlefield and Kirillov, who was married with two sons, was himself sometimes shown on state TV giving briefings at the defence ministry in which he accused Ukraine of violating nuclear safety protocols or the West of various alleged crimes.
Maria Zakharova, a spokeswoman for Russia’s foreign ministry, paid tribute to Kirillov, saying he had worked “fearlessly” for “the Motherland” to expose what she said were the West’s chemical weapons-related and other crimes and what Moscow says were cover-ups in Syria and elsewhere.
- Such agents, Ukraine has alleged, are used to disorientate its troops leaving them unable to defend themselves against Russian attacks.
The lieutenant general was also listed in a sprawling unofficial Ukrainian database of people considered to be enemies of the country called Myrotvorets (Peacemaker).
- A photograph of Kirillov on the website was overwritten with the word “Liquidated” in red letters on Tuesday morning.
Russia says Ukraine has carried out a string of targeted assassinations on its soil since the start of Moscow’s full-scale war on Ukraine in February 2022.
Russia’s radioactive, chemical and biological defense troops, known as RKhBZ, which Kirillov commanded, are special forces who operate under conditions of radioactive, chemical and biological contamination and who are tasked with protecting ground forces operating in extreme conditions
Ukraine kills top Russian general in Moscow it accuses of chemical weapons crimes
Russia’s Head of Nuclear Defense Forces Igor Kirillov Killed in Moscow Blast, SBU Claims Responsibility
Kirillov, who had been in his post since 2017, was sanctioned in October by Britain over the alleged use of chemical weapons in Ukraine.
[UPDATES] As of 1:20 p.m., a unique video of today’s special operation by the SBU to eliminate General Kirillov has appeared on the internet. The footage shows Kirillov and his assistant leaving a building, with the scooter standing nearby.
As soon as they come within range of the explosive device, the scooter takes off into the air.
[UPDATES] As of 10:30 a.m. Kyiv Post’s sources within Ukraine’s special services said the death of Lieutenant General Igor Kirillov, head of the radiation, chemical, and biological protection forces of the Russian Armed Forces, was the result of a special operation carried out by Ukraine’s Security Service (SBU)
- “Kirillov was a war criminal and a legitimate target. He was responsible for ordering the use of prohibited chemical weapons against Ukrainian forces,” an SBU source said.
- This is the fate awaiting all those who kill Ukrainians. Retribution for war crimes is inevitable,” the source told Kyiv Post.
Lieutenant General Igor Kirillov, the head of Russia’s radiation, chemical, and biological protection forces, was killed in an explosion in Moscow early Tuesday morning, Dec. 17, according to the Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation.
- Kirillov’s assistant, identified only as Ilya P., also died in the blast.
- The explosion occurred around 6 a.m. on Ryazansky Prospekt when Kirillov and his assistant were leaving the entrance of a residential house.
- Emergency services reported that an explosive device, equivalent to 200 grams of TNT, was planted on or inside a scooter standing on the street near the house.
- The blast caused significant damage to the area, shattering windows on the first three floors of a nearby apartment building and damaging the entrance and the general’s official car.
Kirillov is the most senior Russian army official to be targeted on Russian territory.
His death follows a series of high-profile killings of individuals tied to Russia’s military and defense sectors.
- Authorities have opened a criminal investigation into the incident.
- The Moscow Prosecutor’s Office is overseeing the case.
The attack on Kirillov comes days after the reported killing of Mikhail Shatskyi, Deputy Chief Designer at the “Mars” construction bureau, in Moscow.
- Shatskyi, responsible for modernizing cruise missiles and developing drones used in attacks on Ukraine, was found with a gunshot wound to the head on Dec. 12.
- The Ukrainian Main Intelligence Directorate (HUR) is alleged to have orchestrated the operation.
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