Bomb blast kills Russian chief of nuclear protection forces in Moscow
Igor Kirillov, the general in command of Russia’s nuclear defense forces, was killed in a bomb explosion in Moscow on Tuesday.
A source in the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU), talking to Al Jazeera, has claimed responsibility for the bombing.
Here’s what you should know:
In the early hours of Tuesday, Kirillov killed with a bomb hidden in an electric scooter outside a construction site in Ryazansky Prospekt, the Russian Investigative Committee said in a statement. The site of the attack is located 7 kilometers southeast of the Kremlin. .
The explosive device “had a capacity of about three hundred grams equivalent to TNT,” Russian news agency TASS reported, citing a law enforcement official.
Russian media reported that the bomb was detonated remotely.
Images from the scene: a scooter with the handlebars torn off and injured in the front along the exterior walls of the building.
Kirillov’s assistant was also killed.
“You can see two bags on the street,” said Al Jazeera’s Yulia Shapovalova, reporting near the site of the explosion. “Judging by the damaged windows, the surprise wave reached at least the fourth floor and about 10 apartments were reportedly damaged. . »
Kirillov, who was 54 at the time of his death, had served as chief of the Troops of Radiological, Chemical and Biological Defence since April 2017.
Special forces in the Russian military, they operate under conditions of radioactive, chemical and biological contamination.
Kirillov married and had two children.
The Russian general is under sanctions from several countries, including the United Kingdom and Canada, for his role in the Ukraine war.
“Igor Kirillov, head of the radiological, chemical and biological coverage forces of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation, and his assistant were killed,” the Russian Investigative Committee said.
The Russian Investigative Committee announced that a case had been opened.
Svetlana Petrenko, a spokesperson for the committee, said in a statement that Moscow considered the bombing a “terrorist” attack.
Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova paid tribute to Kirillov. He said he had worked “fearlessly” for “the motherland” to uncover Western crimes akin to chemical weapons and crimes.
Dmitry Medvedev, deputy chairman of Russia’s Security Council, said: “Aware of the inevitability of the defeat of its army, [Ukraine] is launching cowardly and despicable measures against non-violent cities. »
SBU sources have claimed responsibility for the killing with several news media outlets, but Ukraine has not officially commented.
A Ukrainian law enforcement official told Politico more on condition of anonymity.
“Kirillov is a war thief and a perfectly valid target since he had given the order to use banned chemical weapons against the Ukrainian army. Such a shameful end awaits all those who kill Ukrainians. Retaliation for war crimes is inevitable “said the anonymous official. he told Politico.
On Monday, the SBU accused Kirillov of using banned chemical weapons during the large-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine that began in February 2022.
In a statement released on Monday, the SBU said Russian forces used other types of banned chemical munitions against Ukraine more than 4,800 times. This included K-1 combat grenades.
Russia has accused Ukraine of orchestrating a of high-profile wartime assassinations.
Ukraine usually denies a role in attacks within Russia or Crimea, but its officials often celebrate them in posts on social media.
In November, senior Russian naval officer Valery Trankovsky was killed in a car bomb attack in Crimea. In this case, a source in Ukrainian security facilities told the French news firm AFP that Ukraine was the attack.
In August 2022, Darya Dugina, daughter of Russian ultranationalist Alexander Dugin, was killed in a car bomb attack. Ukraine has denied any involvement in the killing.
In April 2023, the pro-war Russian blogger Vladlen Tatarsky was killed in a bombing at a Saint Petersburg cafe. Ukraine did not claim responsibility, instead blaming domestic infighting.
In July 2023, submarine commander Stanislav Rzhitsky, accused of war crimes in Ukraine, was shot dead in a park in Krasnodar. Again, Kyiv denied any involvement.