Thunderclap in Russia this Tuesday as fighting intensifies in Ukraine. Ukrainian security services have claimed responsibility for the assassination of General Igor Kirillov, head of the Russian army’s radiological, chemical and biological defense forces, and his driver. They were killed in an explosion in Moscow early in the morning.
According to media reports, Igor Kirillov and his assistant left the entrance to a residence on Ryazansky Prospekt around 6 a.m. It was at this precise moment that a device exploded, blowing out the windows of the nearest apartments. The general’s car was also damaged.
The explosive device would have been placed on a scooter parked in the street and the detonation would have been carried out remotely by the bomber.
A criminal investigation was immediately opened.
Lieutenant General Igor Kirillov, 54, has held the post of commander of the Russian army’s radiological, chemical and biological defense forces since 2017.
He was sanctioned in October by the United Kingdom for “deployment of barbaric chemical weapons in Ukraine”.
In March 2022, the general made headlines by claiming that American bio-laboratories in Ukraine were developing projects to distribute biological weapons using bats and birds.
Igor Kirillov also accused Ukraine of provocations using toxic chemicals, including a “his bombs”.
The second person killed in the explosion was General Kirillov’s driver. He had come to pick up his superior around 6 a.m. to take him to work.
