Lt. Gen. Igor Kirillov, the Russian general responsible for overseeing the country’s Nuclear, Biological, and Chemical Defense Forces, was killed on Tuesday in an explosion.
The device, hidden in a scooter, detonated outside a Moscow apartment building as Kirillov was leaving, according to Russian officials. His assistant also perished in the blast. Investigators are still gathering evidence, but it is believed the explosive was remotely triggered.
While no group has claimed responsibility, reports from Ukraine’s security service (SBU) suggest that Ukraine may have carried out the attack as part of a special operation. If confirmed, this would mark a rare targeted assassination of a high-ranking Russian official inside the country.
Kirillov had been heavily criticized in the West, with the UK imposing sanctions on him for his alleged role in deploying chemical weapons during Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Ukrainian authorities had previously accused him of using banned toxic agents, such as chloropicrin, on the battlefield.
On the day before his death, he was sentenced in absentia by a Ukrainian court for these chemical weapon allegations, which Russia has denied.
Russia’s Foreign Ministry defended Kirillov, with spokesperson Maria Zakharova praising his service to the country.
Ukraine has been suspected of carrying out targeted assassinations against Russian officials during the ongoing conflict, with other notable incidents including the 2022 car bomb that killed Daria Dugina, the daughter of a prominent Russian nationalist.
Maj. Gen. Kyrylo Budanov, Ukraine’s military intelligence chief, had previously stated that Ukrainian forces were specifically targeting Russian military figures linked to war crimes in Ukraine. He also revealed that Ukrainian operatives had successfully carried out operations within Russia, including the foiled assassination attempt on President Vladimir Putin in 2022.
This targeted attack on Kirillov comes amid escalating tensions and continued military operations between Ukraine and Russia.
