ASIATODAY.ID, MOSCOW – Lieutenant General Igor Kirillov, head of Russia’s Radiological, Chemical, and Biological Defense Forces, has been killed along with his deputy in a bomb blast in southeastern Moscow early on Tuesday, officials have confirmed.
The explosion occurred around 6am outside a residential building on Ryazansky Avenue as Kirillov and his aide were leaving the premises to board an official vehicle.
Russian investigators said an improvised explosive device (IED) packed with about 300 grams of TNT was likely attached to an electric scooter near the building’s entrance. It was possibly detonated remotely, likely by a radio signal or mobile phone.
The blast shattered windows, damaged the building’s entrance, and destroyed the parked vehicle. Authorities have opened a criminal investigation under charges of murder, terrorism, and illegal weapons trafficking. Russia’s Investigative Committee chief, Aleksandr Bastrykin, has taken personal control of the case.
Investigators suspect Ukrainian special services orchestrated the attack, Moscow daily Kommersant reports, citing Kirillov’s prominence as a likely motive. He regularly appeared at military briefings, accusing Kiev and the US of operating biolaboratories and using chemical weapons. Ukrainian prosecutors had declared Kirillov a suspect in alleged chemical weapons use the day before the attack.
Kommersant described the incident as an “unprecedented crime.” The investigative team is analyzing surveillance footage and mobile phone data from the area to track potential suspects, it added.
Kirillov, 54, led Russia’s chemical, biological, and radiological defense forces since 2017. In October, the UK sanctioned him over claims of chemical weapons use in Ukraine, accusations Moscow has consistently denied. It insists it destroyed such materials back in 2017.
The blast came hours after President Vladimir Putin outlined how Russian forces hold the upper hand on the battlefield against Ukraine, in a landmark Moscow speech on Monday.
Investigators are considering whether the attack was intended to coincide with the major annual Ministry of Defense meeting, Russian media outlets report. Officials believe the perpetrators were likely paid for their involvement.
The Kremlin has yet to issue a public statement on the assassination. (RT)
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