Russia's chief of nuclear protection forces killed in bomb blast in Moscow
Lieutenant General Igor Kirillov, chief of the troops of radiological, chemical and biological defence, was killed by a bomb hidden in an electric scooter, in one of the most brazen assassinations
In one of the most brazen assassinations since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine three years ago, the chief of Russia’s nuclear protection forces has been killed outside an apartment building in Moscow on Tuesday (December 17).
Lieutenant General Igor Kirillov, who was chief of the troops of radiological, chemical and biological defence of the armed forces of the Russian federation, was killed by a bomb hidden in an electric scooter, said Russia’s investigative committee, a law enforcement agency.
According to Russia’s TASS news agency, which quoted a law enforcement official, the explosive device “had a capacity of some 300 grams in TNT equivalent”.
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The killing of Kirillov and his assistant was confirmed by Russia’s investigative committee. The photographs that were posted on Russian Telegram channels showed the entrance of a building that was shattered and a lot of rubble amid which two bodies were seen lying in the blood-stained snow.
Using banned chemical weapons in Ukraine
Earlier, Ukrainian prosecutors had charged Kirillov in absentia for alleging using banned chemical weapons in Ukraine. Russia, however, denied these charges.
Kirillov helped develop a thermobaric rocket launcher, the TOS-2, and reports said that Russian military frequently reported that they used it in Ukraine.
In October, the United Kingdom had given the green signal for Kirillov and the nuclear protection forces to use riot control agents. And there were reports that the toxic agent chloropicrin was being deployed on the battlefield.
Chloropicrin, which has been prohibited to be used by the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW), is an oily liquid with a pungent odour known as a choking agent that was widely used during World War I as a form of tear gas.
Russia claims it does not have military chemical arsenal but it is repeatedly being pressured to be more transparent over the alleged use of toxic weapons. Meanwhile, Ukraine’s Security Service has claimed it has recorded more than 4,800 uses of chemical weapons on the battlefield since February 2022.Also read: Ukraine Peace Summit | PM may skip event that’s seen as Western bid to snub Russia
High-profile assassination
The killing of General Kirillov is the most high-profile apparent assassination of a Russian military official away from the battlefield.
There have been several targetted killings by Ukraine, including a car-bomb attack near Moscow that killed the daughter of a prominent nationalist in October 2022.