A high-ranking Russian military official, Igor Kirillov, was killed in a Moscow explosion when an electric scooter rigged with explosives detonated outside his residence.
Ukraine’s security service has claimed responsibility for what they’re calling a strategic operation against a “war criminal.”
Who Was Igor Kirillov?
Igor Kirillov was a significant figure in Russia’s military establishment, heading the country’s Radiation, Chemical and Biological Protection troops since 2017.
Before taking command of these specialized forces, he led the Timoshenko Radiation, Chemical and Biological Protection Academy, where he built his expertise in military chemical warfare and defense strategies.
His unit had two main tasks – protecting Russian forces from chemical threats and using flame-based weapons against enemies. The UK Foreign Office pointed to Kirillov as more than just a military leader, calling him a key voice in spreading Russian military information, particularly about chemical warfare operations and biological threats.
Details of the Moscow Explosion
The targeted killing of Russian General Igor Kirillov happened in a busy area of southeastern Moscow, on Ryazansky Prospekt, where he lived.
The attack showed careful planning – explosives were hidden inside an electric scooter placed outside his residential building. When Kirillov left the building, the device went off, killing both him and one of his aides instantly.
Russian war reporter Sasha Kots noted this explosion in Moscow’s heart proves enemy agents can move freely in the city, watching high-ranking officials. This attack marks one of the boldest strikes against a Russian military leader since the start of the Ukraine conflict, happening deep within Russian territory.
Ukraine’s SBU Claims Responsibility
Following the Moscow explosion that killed General Igor Kirillov, Ukraine’s Security Service (SBU) quickly stepped forward to claim the attack, calling it a special operation against a “war criminal.”
Just one day before the explosion, the SBU had filed criminal charges against Kirillov in his absence, citing over 4,800 cases where chemical weapons were used against Ukrainian forces since Russia’s invasion started in February 2022.
The SBU stated they had proof of Kirillov ordering toxic substances to be used in drone attacks and combat grenades on Ukraine’s eastern and southern battle lines, which they say made him a legitimate military target under international law.
Note: This section maintains focus on the SBU’s involvement and justification, using clear language while presenting the sequence of events and allegations. Each sentence builds on the previous one to explain why and how Ukraine claimed responsibility for the operation.
Chemical Weapons Controversy in Ukraine
Before his death in the Moscow explosion, General Igor Kirillov faced serious accusations from Western nations about chemical weapons use in Ukraine’s conflict zones.
The UK Foreign Office directly accused Kirillov’s forces of using riot control substances and chloropicrin, a toxic choking agent, on Ukrainian battlefields. The United States backed these claims, pointing to evidence of chemical weapons deployment under Kirillov’s command.
This controversy grew deeper because Russia had claimed to destroy all its Cold War-era chemical weapons in 2017, following Chemical Weapons Convention rules. Yet reports from Ukraine showed widespread use of toxic substances in combat, with Kirillov’s unit repeatedly named as the source of these attacks.
Kirillov’s Controversial Claims and Briefing
General Igor Kirillov, before the Moscow explosion claimed his life, made several bold accusations against Ukraine and Western nations during his military briefings.
His most notable claim came at the start of Russia’s invasion, stating that the United States ran secret biological weapons labs in Ukraine. He showed documents he said Russia seized on the first day of the invasion, but independent experts found no truth in these papers.
Just weeks before his death, Kirillov announced that Ukraine planned to take over the Kursk nuclear power plant, showing slides he claimed proved Ukraine wanted to cause radioactive contamination in Russian territory. He also repeatedly warned about Ukraine making a “dirty bomb,” claims that Western countries called “transparently false” but which sparked serious concerns from Russia’s military leadership.
Russian Official Response
The Moscow explosion that killed General Igor Kirillov sparked immediate and strong reactions from Russia’s political leadership.
Russia’s parliament, the Duma, held a minute of silence to honor Kirillov, while Konstantin Kosachev, deputy speaker of Russia’s upper house, called his death an “irreparable loss” to the nation’s military strength.
Military MP Andrei Gurulyov took a harder stance, declaring Kirillov’s killing “would not go unanswered” and praised the general’s role in exposing what he called “criminal activities of the US and its satellites.” Some Russian officials even suggested British or American involvement in the targeted killing, despite Ukraine’s SBU claiming responsibility for the Moscow explosion.
