Lieutenant General Igor Kirillov has been in charge of Russia’s nuclear, biological and chemical defence forces since 2017, PHOTO: RIA Novosti/WillWest News
The Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) has claimed responsibility for the assassination of Russian Federation General Igor Kirillov, commander of the Russian army’s radiation, chemical and biological defence troops. He died on Tuesday morning as a result of an explosion on Ryazansky Boulevard in Moscow, hromadske reports, citing its own sources in the SBU.
General Igor Kirillov, 54, was sanctioned by the UK in October over the alleged use of chemical weapons against Ukrainian troops. He was the highest-ranking Russian military official to be killed in Moscow since the start of the Russian invasion in February 2022. According to Russian investigators, the explosion was caused by an explosive device placed on a scooter parked at the entrance to the apartment building where Kirillov and his assistant were entering.
“Today’s terrorist attack against Lieutenant General Igor Kirilov is a special operation by the SBU. Kirillov is a war criminal and an absolutely legitimate target, as he ordered the use of banned chemical weapons against Ukrainian troops,” the SBU source said.
The day before, the SBU officially accused Kirillov of “war crimes”, claiming that he had ordered the use of chemical weapons in the eastern and southern regions of Ukraine.
Since the start of Russia’s invasion in February 2022, more than 4,800 cases of “chemical munitions” have been recorded by the Russian army, according to the SBU. In particular, Russian troops often used grenades with toxic substances that had an irritant effect to force Ukrainian soldiers to come out of hiding under fire. According to the SBU, more than 2,000 Ukrainian soldiers were hospitalised with varying degrees of chemical poisoning.
General Kirillov’s death is a significant moment in the Russian-Ukrainian conflict and highlights the SBU’s ability to conduct large-scale special operations even in Moscow.
