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Ukraine: Moscow General was ‘Legitimate Target’
A Ukrainian source has revealed that Ukraine’s security service has assassinated a senior Russian military general and his aide in Moscow.
According to Russia’s Investigative Committee, Lt. Gen. Igor Kirillov, the commander of the Nuclear, Biological, Chemical Defense Forces (NBC), was outside a residential block early on Tuesday when a bomb concealed in a scooter was remotely detonated.
Kirillov, according to a source in Ukraine’s SBU security service, was “a legitimate target” and had committed war crimes.
On Telegram, the SBU accused Kirillov of being “responsible for the mass use of banned chemical weapons” and filed an absentia case against him, on Monday.
Regarding the general’s passing, the Ukrainian government has not yet responded.
According to report, images taken at the scene revealed a severely damaged building entryway, with several windows blasted out and burn marks on the walls.
There were two body bags on the street as well.
On Tuesday morning, when Russian investigators continued to search the area, the block was sealed off.
Kirillov was sanctioned by the UK…
Kirillov was sanctioned by the UK in October for his role as a “significant mouthpiece for Kremlin disinformation” and for supervising the use of chemical weapons in Ukraine.
Under the general’s direction, Russia allegedly employed chemical weapons more than 4,800 times, according to Ukraine’s SBU.
Moscow denied the accusation.
The SK said it had “opened a criminal case into the murder of two servicemen”.
“Investigators, forensic experts and operational services are working at the scene”, it stated.
“Investigative actions and operational search activities are being carried out aimed at establishing all the circumstances of the crime”.
According to Russian state news outlets, the explosive device that killed Kirillov and his assistant on Ryazansky Avenue had an explosive force equal to 300g (0.7lb) of TNT.
They stated that no additional explosives had been discovered after a search for them was conducted by bomb specialists and specialized search dogs.
According to experts, based on photos of the incident, it looks like an improvised explosive device (IED), a kind of homemade bomb that typically consists of readily available parts like glass or nails, caused the explosion.
Although attacks in Moscow are uncommon, assassinations of high-ranking officials have occurred in Russia in the past.
Locals speak on Kirillov’s death
Liza, who resides one building from the explosion scene, said that although she was not totally shocked, Igor Kirillov’s death was a “shocking” incident.
“It’s one thing reading about it in the news, it feels far, but when it happens next door, that’s completely different and frightening”, she said.
“Until now, [the war] felt as if it was happening a long way off – now someone is dead, here, you can feel the consequences”, Liza said, adding that “unfortunately, I don’t think things will calm down any time soon”.
According to a number of other locals, they initially believed the loud boom they heard originated from a construction site.
Living in the building next door, student Mikhail Mashkov told news agency that he was awakened by a “very loud explosion noise” and assumed that “something fell at the construction site” before turning to face the outside world.
At the building site, Olga Bogomolova claimed that she initially believed a container had collapsed but later realized that “it was a very strong explosion” and that “broken windows” were the cause.
Local residents expressed their profound amazement according to report.
This conflict is extremely real and very close to home…
For many Muscovites, the conflict still seems far away, something they only see on TV or their phones, even after Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine almost three years ago.
This conflict is extremely real and very close to home, as evidenced by the murder of a Russian general in Moscow.
Kirillov was prohibited from traveling and his assets were frozen as a result of UK penalties.
In breach of international regulations that prohibit the use of chemical weapons, the United States accused Russia in May of using them as a “method of warfare” in Ukraine.
According to state department officials, Russia gained “battlefield gains” over Ukraine by using the choking chemical chloropicrin.
The SBU claims that chemical weapons had been dropped on Ukrainian military by Russian forces using drones.
According to Ukrainian Col. Artem Vlasiuk, three Ukrainian service members had died and nearly 2,000 had been hospitalized for chemical poisoning throughout the conflict.
At the time, the Kremlin deemed the charges “baseless” and denied them.
Kirillov worked in the Directorate of the Chief of the Radiation, Chemical and Biological Defense Troops, among other hazardous material-related positions in the Russian military.
In 2017, he was named the NBC’s leader.
UK Prime Minister official spokesperson responded to Kirillov’s passing
The official spokesperson for UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer responded to Kirillov’s passing by saying: “Clearly we are not going to mourn the death of an individual who has propagated an illegal invasion and imposed suffering and death on the Ukrainian people”.
Nearly three years into the conflict, Ukraine’s Security Services seem to be increasing their targeting of high-ranking Russian officials.
Less than a week has passed since a well-known Russian weapons specialist was shot and killed close to his Moscow residence before Kirillov’s passing.
According to Ukrainian media, Ukraine’s military intelligence service was responsible for Mikhail Shatsky’s murder.
In recent weeks, vehicle explosives in Russian-occupied Ukraine have also killed Russian prison chief Sergei Yevsyukov and senior Russian naval officer Valery Trankovsky.
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