Ukraine claims responsibility for killing of Russian general with bomb hidden in a scooter

LAST UPDATE | 22 hrs ago

THE KILLING OF a senior Russian military official, Igor Kirillov, in Moscow this morning was a “special operation” by Ukraine’s SBU security service, a source inside the agency have said.

Kirillov was killed after an explosive device hidden in a scooter went off outside a building in Moscow, according to Russian investigators.

“The liquidation of Lieutenant General Igor Kirillov, chief of the Russian Armed Forces’ radiation, chemical and biological defence troops is a special operation by the SBU,” the Ukrainian security source said.

“Kirillov was a war criminal and an absolutely legitimate target, as he gave orders to use banned chemical weapons against the Ukrainian military,” they said.

The commander of Russian armed forces’ chemical, biological and radiation defence troops, Igor Kirillov, was killed along with his deputy when the blast went off as the two men left a building in southeastern Moscow early this morning.

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“An explosive device planted in a scooter parked near the entrance of a residential building was activated on the morning of 17 December on Ryazansky Avenue in Moscow,” said the Russian Investigative Committee, responsible for major investigations in the country.

The blast shattered several windows of the building and severely damaged the front door, according to images published by Russian media.

Kirillov, who had been in his post since 2017, was sanctioned in October by Britain over the alleged use of chemical weapons in Ukraine.

He was sentenced in absentia by a Ukrainian court yesterday for the use of banned chemical weapons during Russia’s military operation in Ukraine that started in February 2022.

“Such an inglorious end awaits all those who kill Ukrainians. Retribution for war crimes is inevitable,” the SBU source said.

the source confirmed Kirillov was killed when “a scooter with explosives” detonated as he entered the building on Ryazansky Avenue in Moscow.

With reporting from PA