moscow
Lieutenant General Igor Kirillov, the head of Russia’s Nuclear, Biological, and Chemical Protection Troops, was assassinated in Moscow on Tuesday morning in a high-profile attack claimed by Ukraine’s SBU intelligence service.
The assassination marks the most senior Russian military officer to be killed inside Russia by Ukraine since the start of the conflict.
Kirillov, 54, was killed along with his assistant when a bomb hidden in an electric scooter detonated as they stepped out of an apartment building on Ryazansky Prospekt in Moscow, the Russian Investigative Committee reported.
A source within the SBU confirmed to Reuters that the agency was behind the assassination, describing it as the “liquidation” of the general.
Unverified video footage circulating on social media showed two men leaving the building and a large explosion shortly afterward, with the bodies of the victims lying on the pavement.The attack is likely to prompt Russian authorities to review security measures for top military officials.
Kirillov’s death follows a series of high-profile assassinations attributed to Ukraine on Russian soil, aimed at weakening morale and holding those responsible for alleged war crimes accountable. His killing is likely to escalate tensions, with Russian officials threatening retaliation.
Former Russian president Dmitry Medvedev warned that Ukraine’s military and political leadership would face “imminent revenge.”
