A senior Russian general, accused by Ukraine of overseeing the use of chemical weapons against its forces, was assassinated in Moscow on Tuesday morning in what is considered the most prominent killing of its kind.
Lieutenant General Igor Kirillov, the head of Russia’s Nuclear, Biological, and Chemical Protection Troops, was killed alongside his assistant when a bomb concealed in an electric scooter exploded outside an apartment building. Russia’s Investigative Committee, which handles major crimes, confirmed the incident.
A source within Ukraine’s SBU intelligence service told Reuters that the agency orchestrated the attack. “The elimination of the head of Russia’s radiation and chemical protection forces was carried out by the SBU,” the source stated. According to the source, the explosive-laden scooter was detonated as Kirillov and his aide exited a building on Ryazansky Prospekt in Moscow.
Video footage circulating on social media, though unverified, appears to capture the moment of the attack. The footage reportedly shows two men leaving a building and heading toward a car before a powerful explosion erupts, leaving both men on the pavement. Reuters could not independently confirm the authenticity of the video.
At 54 years old, Kirillov is the highest-ranking Russian military official to be assassinated inside Russia, allegedly by Ukraine. His death is likely to spark a reassessment of security measures for Russia’s top military leaders, while calls for retaliation are already growing among Moscow’s leadership.
Former Russian president Dmitry Medvedev, now a senior security official, warned of imminent revenge. State news agency RIA quoted him as saying that Ukraine’s political and military leadership would face retribution for Kirillov’s killing.
Moscow has accused Ukraine of carrying out a series of targeted assassinations on Russian soil aimed at undermining morale and punishing individuals Kyiv deems responsible for war crimes. Ukraine, which views Russia’s invasion as a direct threat to its existence, has previously justified such attacks as legitimate actions in defense of the nation.
Source: MyABCLive.com, sourced from Reuters.com
