On Tuesday morning, a Russian general facing allegations of deploying prohibited chemical weapons in Ukraine was killed in Moscow via a remote-controlled explosive device affixed to an electric scooter, as reported by Reuters.
Lt. General Igor Kirillov, who led Russia’s nuclear, biological, and chemical defense troops, lost his life together with his aide when the explosive detonated near an apartment complex on Ryazansky Prospekt, stated the Investigative Committee of Russia, responsible for handling major crimes.
Images captured at the crime scene depict two lifeless bodies in the blood-smeared snow outside the apartment building’s broken entrance. The incident is currently being treated as a homicide, though authorities hinted it could be elevated to a terrorism classification, according to police insiders relayed by Russian news outlets.
Sources within Ukrainian security informed various media that the hit was orchestrated by the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU).
“Kirillov was a war criminal and a completely valid target since he issued commands to deploy banned chemical agents against Ukrainian forces,” an SBU insider stated to CBS News. “A disgraceful fate awaits anyone who slaughters Ukrainians. Justice for war crimes is unavoidable.”
Just a day prior to his assassination, Kirillov had been charged in absentia by the SBU for allegedly utilizing illegal chemical agents during Russia’s offensive in Ukraine, specifically K-1 combat grenades, as reported by the Kyiv Independent.
The SBU disclosed that their investigation indicated these weapons had been deployed over 4,800 times in battle since February 2022, resulting in over 2,000 Ukrainian soldiers being hospitalized for chemical-related illnesses, with three fatalities recorded.
Russia has consistently refuted allegations of chemical weapon usage, while Kirillov has leveled accusations against Ukraine regarding breaches of nuclear safety regulations, according to the AP.
However, the U.S. State Department affirmed in May that chloropicrin, a toxic agent first utilized in World War I known for its choking effects, had indeed been employed against Ukrainian forces. Both the U.K. and Canada have imposed sanctions on Kirillov for his alleged use of chemical agents against Ukraine, as highlighted by the AP.
Since the onset of the conflict in Ukraine, numerous prominent figures have been assassinated within Russia.
Just last week, Ukrainian intelligence operatives shot one of President Vladimir Putin’s key missile developers in a public park.
Darya Dugina, daughter of the Russian nationalist thinker Alexander Dugin, was also killed in a car bomb incident in 2022. In the previous year, a pro-war blogger lost their life in a café bombing, and a submarine commander, accused of war crimes, was gunned down while out jogging.
