Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB) has arrested a 29-year-old man from Uzbekistan over the assassination of senior Russian general Igor Kirillov and his assistant in Moscow.
Lt. Gen. Igor Kirillov, the head of Russia’s Radiation, Chemical, and Biological Protection Forces, was killed early Tuesday when an explosive device hidden in an electric scooter was remotely detonated outside a residential building. The blast occurred as Kirillov exited his residence, leaving the entrance severely damaged.
The FSB accused Ukrainian intelligence of orchestrating the attack. Ukrainian security services claimed responsibility for the killing, calling Kirillov a “legitimate target” and alleging he was responsible for war crimes. The killing took place just one day after Ukraine charged Kirillov in absentia, accusing him of overseeing the mass use of banned chemical weapons. Russia has denied these allegations.
In its statement, the FSB reported that the detained man admitted during interrogation that he had been recruited by Ukrainian special services. The suspect claimed he was promised a $100,000 reward and permission to relocate to the European Union in exchange for the assassination.
The FSB revealed further details about the attack. The suspect allegedly traveled to Moscow under Ukrainian instructions, where he received a homemade explosive device. He placed the bomb on an electric scooter parked outside Kirillov’s residence and monitored the general’s movements. A dashboard camera installed in a rented car livestreamed footage to handlers in the Ukrainian city of Dnipro, who gave the order to detonate the bomb once Kirillov was spotted.
The killing of Kirillov marks the most high-profile assassination of a Russian military figure on home soil since Russia invaded Ukraine nearly three years ago. In response, Russian officials have vowed to track down and punish all those involved. The Russian Foreign Ministry announced it would raise the issue at the upcoming United Nations Security Council meeting on Friday.
Kirillov, 54, had been sanctioned by the UK over allegations of chemical weapons use in Ukraine. Ukraine’s SBU security service has accused Russia of deploying chemical weapons over 4,800 times under Kirillov’s leadership. Russia rejects these claims, maintaining that it destroyed its chemical weapons stockpile in 2017.
Images from the scene showed significant damage to the entrance of Kirillov’s apartment building in southeastern Moscow. The explosion shattered windows, scorched walls, and left two body bags visible on the street.
bbc.com
