Moscow, December 17, 2024: A high-ranking Russian military officer, Lieutenant General Igor Kirillov, and his assistant were killed in Moscow on Tuesday in a targeted attack allegedly carried out by Ukraine’s security service, international media reported.
Lt. Gen. Kirillov, head of Russia’s Nuclear, Biological, and Chemical Defence Forces (NBC), was killed when an explosive device concealed in a scooter was detonated remotely outside a residential building, according to Russia’s Investigative Committee (SK).
A source within Ukraine’s Security Service (SBU) described Kirillov as “a legitimate target,” accusing him of war crimes. The SBU charged the 54-year-old general in absentia on Monday, alleging he was “responsible for the mass use of banned chemical weapons.”
Images from the south-eastern Moscow neighborhood showed a damaged building entrance with scorch marks, shattered windows, and two body bags on the street. Russian investigators cordoned off the area and continued their inquiries.
Kirillov had previously faced international scrutiny. In October, the UK sanctioned him for allegedly overseeing chemical weapon usage in Ukraine and for serving as a “significant mouthpiece for Kremlin disinformation.”
Ukraine’s SBU claimed Russia used chemical weapons over 4,800 times under Kirillov’s leadership, an allegation Moscow has consistently denied. While the Ukrainian government has not officially commented, the SBU maintains that Kirillov’s actions justified the strike. The incident marks an escalation in the ongoing conflict, spotlighting the use of unconventional tactics in the war.
