A high-ranking general in the Russian armed forces and his assistant have reportedly been killed in Moscow by Ukraine’s security service, according to a Ukrainian source.
Lt Gen Igor Kirillov, head of the Nuclear, Biological, Chemical Defence Forces (NBC), was outside a residential block early on Tuesday when a device concealed in a scooter was remotely detonated, as stated by Russia’s Investigative Committee.
A source within Ukraine’s SBU security service identified Kirillov as “a legitimate target,” alleging he had committed war crimes.
On Monday, the SBU charged Kirillov in absentia, asserting on Telegram that he bore “responsibility for the mass use of banned chemical weapons.” The Ukrainian government has yet to comment on the general’s death.
Images from the scene revealed the severely damaged entrance to a building, with scorch marks on the walls and several blown-out windows. Two body bags were also visible on the street.
The block was cordoned off on Tuesday morning as Russian investigators continued to comb the area.
In October, the UK imposed sanctions on Kirillov, citing his role in overseeing the use of chemical weapons in Ukraine and describing him as a “significant mouthpiece for Kremlin disinformation.”
Ukraine’s SBU has claimed that Russia used chemical weapons over 4,800 times under Kirillov’s command.
Moscow has denied these allegations.
Russia’s Investigative Committee announced that it had “opened a criminal case into the murder of two servicemen.”
Russian state news agencies reported that the explosive device, which killed 54-year-old Kirillov and his aide on Ryazansky Avenue in the south-east of the city, possessed an explosive force equivalent to 300g of TNT.
They further stated that bomb experts and specialist search dogs had examined the surrounding area, finding no additional explosives.
Experts consulted by BBC Verify indicated that, based on images from the scene, the explosion appeared to be caused by an Improvised Explosive Device (IED), a type of homemade bomb typically constructed from easily obtainable materials, such as nails or glass.
