A Ukrainian official has claimed responsibility for the assassination of Lt. Gen. Igor Kirillov, the commander of Russia’s chemical, biological, and radiation defense forces, and his assistant, who were killed in an explosion in Moscow. The explosive device was placed in a scooter near a residential apartment block on Ryazansky Avenue and triggered remotely. The bomb had the power of roughly 300 grams of TNT, according to Russian state news agency Tass.
The Ukrainian Security Services, or SBU, has taken credit for the killing, stating that Kirillov was considered a 'war criminal and an entirely legitimate target.' The SBU had charged Kirillov with crimes just one day before the bombing occurred.
Russian Investigative Committee spokeswoman Svetlana Petrenko confirmed that investigators, forensic experts, and operational services are working at the scene to establish all the circumstances surrounding the crime. The explosion is being treated as a terrorist attack by Russian authorities.
Kirillov had been accused by the SBU of using banned chemical weapons on the battlefield. He had also faced sanctions from several countries for his involvement in the war against Ukraine. The SBU reported over 4,800 uses of chemical weapons during Russia's attack on Ukraine, which began in February 2022.
