A Russian general wanted by Ukraine for using chemical weapons was killed by a remotely exploded bomb in Moscow on Tuesday, Russian officials said.
The investigative committee of Russia has reported that Lt. Gen. Igor Kirillov and his assistant were killed on Tuesday morning by an explosive device that was concealed in an electric scooter outside an apartment building located approximately 7 kilometers (4 miles) southeast of the Kremlin.
The committee noted that investigators, forensic experts, and operational services are on the scene as a criminal inquiry into the deaths is in progress.
A source stated that Ukraine’s security services were responsible for the assassination of Kirillov, according to CNN, describing him as a “war criminal and an absolutely legitimate target.”
The source states that Kirillov was a war criminal and a completely legitimate target, as he issued orders to employ prohibited chemical substances against the Ukrainian military. “Such an inglorious end awaits all those who kill Ukrainians. Retribution for war crimes is inevitable.”
This occurs one day after Ukrainian prosecutors charge the general in absentia with the use of prohibited chemical substances during the war on Ukraine.
Lt. Gen. Igor Kirillov was the official title of Chief of the Radiation, Chemical, and Biological Defense Troops of the Russian Armed Forces, leading Russia’s nuclear, biological, and chemical protection forces.
Russian state media TASS reported that he had been in the position for over seven years, having been appointed in 2017.
The Security Service of Ukraine has documented over 4,800 instances of Russian chemical munitions use on Kirillov’s orders since the start of the war.
