On Tuesday, Ukraine’s security service took credit for the murder of Lt. Gen. Igor Kirillov, the chief of Russia’s chemical, radiological, and biological weapons section.
The detonation of an explosive device planted in a scooter outside the entrance of a Moscow apartment building was orchestrated by the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU), an informed source within the agency told NBC News. Russian officials said Kirillov and his unnamed helper were murdered in the Tuesday morning explosion.
Ukraine claimed responsibility for the event, but Russian officials did not immediately address the assertion.
Ukraine’s security agencies accused Kirillov on Monday of using prohibited chemical weapons during Russia’s February 2022 invasion of the country.
Late Tuesday morning, Russian detectives, forensic experts, and emergency services were still on the scene. The Investigative Committee posted a video on Telegram of emergency personnel parked outside an apartment complex with a clearly broken entryway.
Shortly after the explosion, Alexander Bastrykin, the head of the committee, launched an investigation into the murders of Kirillov and his aide. No one was named as a suspect.
Britain sanctioned Kirillov and the nuclear protection troops in October due to their use of riot control agents and allegations of using the chemical choking agent chloropicrin on the battlefield.
The British government released a statement at the time accusing Kirillov of being “responsible for helping deploy these barbaric weapons” and of serving as “a significant mouthpiece for Kremlin disinformation, spreading lies to mask Russia’s shameful and dangerous behavior.”
Maria Zakharova, a spokesman for the Russian Foreign Ministry, attempted to defend Kirillov’s record by claiming that he had been methodically exposing the Anglo-Saxons’ crimes for many years.
In a statement posted on Telegram on Tuesday, Zakharova said that he operated without fear. “He tackled issues head-on. For the truth, for the Motherland. May he rest in peace, and may his memory be bright.
Before taking command of the force, Kirillov served in a number of capacities inside the Directorate of the Chief of the Radiation, Chemical and Biological Defense troops since 2009, according to Russian state news agency RIA.
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