Moscow: A Russian armed forces general and his assistant were killed in Moscow by Ukraine’s security service, according to a Ukrainian source, media reports said on Wednesday.
Lt Gen Igor Kirillov, head of the Nuclear, Biological, Chemical Defence Forces (NBC), was outside a residential block early on Tuesday when a device hidden in a scooter was detonated remotely, Russia’s Investigative Committee (SK) said.
According to BBC reports, Ukraine’s SBU security service has accused Kirillov of being a legitimate target and alleged that he committed war crimes.
On Monday, the Security Service of Ukraine SBU charged Kirillov, 54, in absentia, saying on Telegram that he was “responsible for the mass use of banned chemical weapons”.
The Ukrainian government has not yet commented on the general’s death, the report said.
According to BBC reports, Pictures from the scene in south-eastern Moscow showed the badly damaged entrance to a building with scorch marks on the walls and a number of windows blown out. Two body bags could also be seen on the street.
The block was cordoned off on Tuesday morning as Russian investigators continued combing the area.
In October, the UK placed sanctions on Kirillov, saying he had overseen the use of chemical weapons in Ukraine and acted as a “significant mouthpiece for Kremlin disinformation”.
Ukraine’s SBU has claimed Russia used chemical weapons more than 4,800 times under the general’s leadership. Moscow denies the allegations.
Russian state news agencies reported that the explosive device – which killed Kirillov and his aide on Ryazansky Avenue—had an explosive force equivalent to 300 g (0.7lb) of TNT, the report said.
Bomb experts and search dogs have thoroughly inspected the surrounding area, and no other explosives have been found.
The explosion, based on the scene’s images, seems to have been caused by an Improvised Explosive Device (IED), a homemade bomb typically containing easily accessible components like nails or glass, BBC reports said.
Assassinations of senior officials have been carried out in Russia before, but attacks in Moscow are rare.
Liza, who lives one building away from the site of the blast, told the BBC that while she was not entirely surprised, the killing of Igor Kirillov was a “shocking” development.
Kirillov served in different roles in Russia’s military associated with hazardous materials, including the Directorate of the Chief of the Radiation, Chemical and Biological Defence Troops. He was appointed head of the NBC in 2017.
Reacting to Kirillov’s death, UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer’s official spokesman said, “Clearly we are not going to mourn the death of an individual who has propagated an illegal invasion and imposed suffering and death on the Ukrainian people.”
The killing of a Russian general in Moscow is a sign that this war is very real and very close to home, the report added.
