In Russia, General Igor Kirillov killed by a booby-trapped scooter, his assassination claimed in Ukraine

RUSSIA – A senior Russian army official and his assistant were killed this Tuesday, December 17 in the morning in an explosion near a residential building in the southeast of Moscow, announced the Russian Investigative Committee, responsible for of the main investigations in the country. A bomb attack claimed in the morning by the Ukrainian security services (SBU), as you can see in our video at the top of the article.

« Today’s bomb attack against Lieutenant General Igor Kirillov, commander of the radiological, chemical and biological defense troops of the Russian Armed Forces, is a special operation of the SBU “, said a source within this structure to AFP.

According to her, the explosion occurred as the general and his assistant entered the building. “ The commander of the Russian radionuclear, chemical and biological defense forces, Igor Kirillov, and his assistant were killed » in the explosion caused by the triggering of an explosive device, the committee said in a press release. According to investigators, the device in question was placed on a scooter parked near the entrance to a residential building on Ryazansky Avenue in Moscow.

Use of chemical weapons

General Kirillov “was not the leader of the most important participant in the Russian special operation” in Ukraine, estimates the Russian daily Kommersant. So why attack this particular man?

“Kirillov was a war criminal and a completely legitimate target, as he ordered the use of banned chemical weapons against the Ukrainian army”the source at the SBU explained to AFP.

In office since April 2017, the general was sanctioned in October by London for alleged deployment of chemical weapons in Ukraine. According to skynewshe has also been described as a “A leading Kremlin disinformation mouthpiece, spreading lies to cover up Russia’s shameful and dangerous behavior”.

According to the media, Ukraine opened legal proceedings against him this week, accusing him of using chemical weapons. Russian authorities have repeatedly rejected these accusations, calling them“absurd”.

Aged 54, father of two children, he is the most senior Russian military official to have been killed in Moscow since the start of the Russian offensive against its Ukrainian neighbor in February 2022.

And « unprecedented crime »

According to an AFP journalist on site, the windows of several apartments were broken by the explosion, and large police cordons were deployed around them. The entrance to the building was seriously damaged.

“A criminal investigation into the assassination of the two soldiers in Moscow has been opened”specified the Investigative Committee, adding that investigators are in the process of establishing “all circumstances” facts. “An unprecedented crime has been committed in Moscow”reacted Kommersant on its site.

“According to one clue, the attack could have been prepared for this meeting at the Ministry of Defense with the participation of Vladimir Putin”says the media. “But for whatever reasons, we would have decided to postpone it for the next day”he adds

A general intrepid »

The spokesperson for Russian diplomacy, Maria Zakharova, deplored on Telegram the loss of a general “ fearless, who never hid behind the backs of others”fighting “for the Fatherland and for the truth”.

For his part, the vice-president of the Federation Council, the upper house of the Russian Parliament, Konstantin Kosachev, promised on Telegram that “The murderers will be punished. Without doubt and without pity”.

On Monday, Russian President Vladimir Putin took stock of the 2024 fighting in Ukraine, during a meeting with Defense Ministry officials, welcoming the pace of the advance of his troops and having « l’initiative » on the entire front at the end of this “pivotal year”.

Also see on The HuffPost: