Ukraine Has Assassinated Russia’s Chemical Weapons Chief With A Bomb Hidden In A Scooter In Moscow
Ukraine’s Security agency claimed responsibility for the killing, calling Kirillov a “war criminal" for orderin the use of banned chemical weapons in Ukraine.
Igor Kirillov, the head of Russia’s Nuclear, Biological, and Chemical Defense Forces, has been assassinated in Moscow by Ukraine’s Security agency (SBU), which claimed responsibility for the killing.
Kirillov was killed by a bomb that was concealed in an electric scooter and set off remotely as he walked out of a building early on Tuesday Dec. 17.
Kirillov’s aide, Ilya Polarpov, also died in the explosion on Ryazansky Prospekt, about 7 km from the Kremlin, Russia’s Investigative Committee said.
In a video obtained by CNN, a scooter was seen outside the building’s door, and as the two men approached a car, the bomb exploded.
The force of the blast was reported to be equivalent to around 300 grams of TNT, an explosive material, according to Russian news agency TASS.
Images from the scene showed two body bags and damage to at least ten buildings, with windows broken up to the fourth floor, according to Al Jazeera.
The SBU called Kirillov a “war criminal” and said he was a “legitimate target” because he ordered the use of banned chemical weapons against Ukrainian forces.
Russian authorities have detained a 29-year-old Uzbek man in connection with the bombing, according to BBC.
They said that he was recruited by SBU and was promised a financial reward of US$100,000, as well as the opportunity to move to a European country in exchange for carrying out the attack.
The agency added that the the man was instructed to monitor Kirillov, renting a car with a camera that sent live video to people in Dnipro, a city in eastern Ukraine.
The bomb was then set off remotely when they saw Kirillov and his aide leaving the building, the agency added.
Ukraine says that Kirillov ordered more than 4,800 chemical weapon attacks since Russia invaded in February 2022.
However, Moscow has refuted these accusations.
Western nations, including the US and UK, have similarly accused and even sanctioned Kirillovof using chemical weapons in Ukraine.
Russia has vowed to avenge Kirillov and called the assassination a “terrorist act” and have opened an investigation.
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