Ukraine claims responsibility for assassination of Russian general in Moscow
Russian general Igor Kirillov, who commanded Russia's radiological, chemical and biological defence forces, was killed in an explosion Tuesday morning in southeast Moscow. Ukraine's SBU security service has claimed responsibility for the bombing.
"The bombing today against Lieutenant General Igor Kirillov, commander of the Russian army's radiological, chemical and biological defence forces, is a special operation of the SBU," a source at the security service said.
The blast was likely triggered by an explosive device hidden inside an electric scooter. Kirillov's aide also died in the explosion.
Biological weapons
As head of the Russian radiological, chemical and biological defence forces, Kirillov was responsible for protecting Russia against radiological, chemical and biological risks.
Kirillov was known as one of the main instigators of the war in Ukraine. He long claimed, without giving evidence, that the US was building biological weapons laboratories on Ukrainian soil, and that it planned to use drones “designed to spread infected mosquitoes”.
He also accused Ukraine of working on a "dirty bomb" - conventional explosive charges with radioactive material mixed in - which Western countries denied as "transparently false".
UK sanctions
The Russian general was sanctioned by the UK in October for deploying chemical weapons in Ukraine. On Monday, the SBU also accused Kirillov for the “massive use of banned chemical weapons” in Ukraine, which Moscow has consistently denied. According to the secret service, Russian troops deployed toxic ammunition to force Ukrainian soldiers out of cover.
Kirillov's killing is the most high-profile assassination of a military official inside Russia since the start of the war in 2022.
PHOTO © Handout / Russian Defence Ministry / AFP
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