In a shocking incident early Tuesday morning, Lieutenant General Igor Kirillov, the head of Russia’s Nuclear, Biological, and Chemical Protection Troops, was assassinated by an explosive device hidden in an electric scooter. The attack took place outside a residential building on Ryazansky Prospekt, about four miles southeast of the Kremlin in Moscow.
Kirillov, a key figure in managing Russia’s defense against NBC threats, was killed alongside his assistant in the blast, as confirmed by Russia’s Investigative Committee. The bomb, estimated to contain around 300 grams of TNT Russian state news agency TASS reported., was remotely detonated, causing significant damage to the building’s entrance and nearby vehicles.
This assassination comes on the heels of Ukrainian prosecutors charging Kirillov in absentia for alleged chemical warfare against Ukrainian forces, a claim Russia has denied. The incident has not only raised security concerns in Moscow but also intensified the ongoing conflict narrative between Russia and Ukraine. Russian authorities have launched a criminal investigation to unravel the circumstances surrounding this targeted attack, with no immediate claim of responsibility made public. The killing of such a high-profile military official in the Russian capital marks a significant escalation in the covert operations associated with the broader conflict.