Hand of Ukraine’s Security Service (SBU) suspected, though no official response from Kyiv yet
Embarrassed, Moscow’s response could be catastrophic
Cities across Ukrainian have already been hit by unprecedented Russian barrage of missile and drone attacks in the last few weeks, hitting military-linked fuel and energy infra
In what can be viewed as another grave provocation by Ukraine and its US-led allies, a top ranking Russian general, heading its Radiological, Chemical, and Biological Defence Forces, was killed along with an aide in a bomb blast, apparently trigged by a remote control, outside an apartment building in southeastern Moscow early on Tuesday. Investigators suspect that the bomb was hidden inside the handlebar of an electric scooter.
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Though Ukraine did not officially respond immediately to the killing of Lieutenant General Igor Kirillov, western media was quick to attribute responsibility to Ukraine’s Security Service (SBU), quoting unidentified sources in the service.
Earlier, in another grave provocation, Ukraine had twice fired salvos of US-supplied Army Tactical Missile System, or ATACMs, deep inside Russia, the latest one targeting a Russian air base, after receiving the much-sought permission from US President Joe Biden.
The attacks evoked massive and brutal response from Moscow, hitting critically important fuel and energy facilities, fuelling the Ukrainian military industrial complex, in several cities across the country, including its capital Kyiv, with an unprecedented barrage of missiles and drones.
These apparent acts of desperation by Kyiv come at a time when Biden is pushing through military aid for Ukraine in his final weeks in office, amid concerns that president-elect Trump’s presidency could alter the trajectory of US support for Kyiv.
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Igor Kirillov’s killing took place hours after the general was accused by Kyiv of being linked to the use of chemical agents on the battlefield, a claim Moscow outrightly denies.
According to Russian media outlet RT (Russia Today), “Reuters, the BBC, and Ukrainian media outlets have cited what appears to be the same statement by an SBU source describing the 54-year-old Russian officer as ‘a war criminal and an absolutely legitimate target’ for assassination.”
RT further said Dmitry Medvedev, the deputy chair of the Russian Security Council, has called the killing of Kirillov a sign of “agony” of the Ukrainian government, “which uses its remaining strength to justify its worthless existence to Western masters, prolong war and death, and explain away the catastrophic situation on the front line.”
The leaders in Kyiv cannot terrorize the Russian people and will be held accountable for their crimes, Medvedev was further quoted as asserting.
RT said Lieutenant General Igor Kirillov took the helm of the Russian military branch in 2017. He was involved in investigating alleged Ukrainian use of chemical weapons against Russian troops, and provided regular reports about American labs in Ukraine which he claimed were involved in biological warfare research.
Kirillov, 54, is the most senior Russian military officer to be assassinated inside Russia.
Russia says Ukraine has carried out a string of targeted assassinations on its soil since the start of Moscow’s special military operation in Ukraine in February 2022.
The most high-profile cases include the 2022 killing of Darya Dugina, daughter of Russian nationalist ideologue Alexander Dugin, in a car bomb attack; the murder of pro-war blogger Vladlen Tatarsky in a 2023 cafe bombing; and the shooting last year of a Russian submarine commander accused of war crimes by Kyiv.
A profile of General Kirillov carried by RT
• General Kirillov dealt with anti-terrorism both domestically and abroad. He exposed the provocations of the controversial White Helmets volunteer organization in Syria and participated in mitigating the consequences of natural and man-made disasters.
• Since the beginning of the special military operation against Ukraine in February 2022, Kirillov had spoken at briefings held by the Ministry of Defence, where he shared information about Ukrainian developments in the areas of radiological, chemical, and biological weapons. In March 2022, he announced that Ukrainian biolaboratories were studying the potential for transferring highly dangerous infections through migratory birds.
• The same month, Kirillov presented copies of documents that, according to him, confirmed the Pentagon’s funding of biological laboratories in Ukraine.
• In June 2024, Kirillov stated that spent nuclear fuel and hazardous chemical waste were being imported into Ukraine for a potential “dirty bomb” creation. He added that radiochemical substances were still being brought into Ukraine for disposal. According to him, these supplies were overseen by Andrey Yermak, Vladimir Zelensky’s right-hand man, with primary routes passing through Poland and Romania.
• In October 2024, the UK slapped Kirillov with sanctions after he accused Ukraine of preparing a false-flag chemical weapons attack with the aim of framing Russia and undermining its position at the OPCW (Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons). Kirillov noted that NATO had provided Ukraine with a much larger amount of chemical protective equipment than the country needs, calling it further evidence of an impending plot.
• In November 2024, Kirillov said that Ukraine planned to seize a nuclear power plant during its large-scale incursion into the Kursk Region of the Russian Federation.
