Ukraine-Russia War: The death of Igor Kirillov told through video analysis

BBC Verify analyzed videos and social media images from Moscow to try to build a clearer picture of the explosion that killed Russian Lieutenant General Igor Kirillov and his aide.

The Ukrainian sources say they carried out the attack against the senior commander, who has overseen Russia’s radiation, chemical and biological protection troops since 2017. He was sanctioned by the United Kingdom in October and charged to be a “leading spokesperson for Kremlin disinformation.”

Lt. Gen. Kirillov was leaving a modern apartment building in southeast Moscow early Tuesday when the device hidden in a parked scooter exploded, said Russia’s Investigative Committee – the FBI’s equivalent in the country.

Footage authenticated by BBC Verify shows two people leaving the building before an explosion near the entrance. Their clothes are the same color as those of the bodies photographed after the explosion.

A scooter appears to be placed near the door. Nothing is seen after the explosion, the rest of the sequence being obscured by debris from the explosion.

In other images analyzed by BBC Verify, the remains of an electric scooter can be seen lying among the debris, between two bodies and a demolished door.

A close-up of the scooter, verified by comparing it to the debris, shows it to be largely intact, except for the missing handlebars.

Experts from Janes, a private open-source investigation organisation, told BBC Verify that the footage suggested the explosion was caused by an improvised explosive device (IED), rather than a conventional munition.

“From available photos of the scooter, it actually appears quite intact, so the effect appears to be more of a fragmentation than an explosion,” a spokesperson for the organization told BBC Verify.

According to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, an improvised explosive device is a type of “homemade” bomb that can come in a variety of forms and usually contains easily obtainable components, such as nails, glass or metal fragments .

David Heathcote, head of intelligence at security analysts McKenzie Intelligence, also suggested the device appeared to be a pipe bomb.

“Improvised explosive devices can be deliberately constructed to resemble an everyday object that would not look out of place,” he told BBC Verify. “In this case, it appears that the device was concealed in a scooter, presumably using a military-grade explosive such as (but not necessarily) Semtex, rather than a homemade explosive.

He added that the attack demonstrated “a reasonable level of sophistication and may have required months of preparation”, which would have required “significant surveillance of the intended target before the attack”.

Russian media speculated that a device had been attached to the scooter’s handlebars.

He also reported, citing police sources, that the explosion was probably triggered remotely. Mr Heathcote agrees with that assessment, suggesting a radio signal from a phone or car remote control may have been the trigger.

“The attacker will need to have an eye on the device and will press a switch to trigger the explosion when the target is within range,” he told BBC Verify. “The proximity of the device to the attacker depends on the transmitter [ou] of the receiver used. »

Russian state media initially reported that the bomb contained up to 300g of explosive material, before revising that figure upwards to 1kg, citing law enforcement data.

An eyewitness showed Russian media images of what he said was debris from the explosion that landed in the apartment he owns across the street from the site. BBC Verify is showing them to weapons experts to determine if they could have come from the device.

According to the developers, the building where Lieutenant General Kirillov was killed is relatively new and was completed in 2019. The apartments are relatively high-end, with some available online for around 20 million rubles (£153,540 ).

In videos verified by the BBC, a small crowd can be seen gathered around the bodies, which lie in the snow-covered street. Emergency service vehicles are also visible in the images.

Both videos were filmed on a north-facing street towards Ryazansky Prospekt in Moscow and were posted on social media on Tuesday morning. They show the damage to the facade of the building, including scattered bricks and open doors, just meters from the bodies.

Another video shows a bright flash slightly off-camera. The force of the explosion caused snow to fall from cars parked nearby.

At least 10 other apartments on the street were hit by the explosion, popular Russian Telegram channel Mash reported.

BBC Verify will continue to review footage from the scene as it arrives and provide updates.