Russian Nuclear Defense Chief Suffers Fatal Explosion in Moscow City Blast
Headline
Russian Nuclear Defense Chief Suffers Fatal Explosion in Moscow City Blast
The head of Russia's nuclear, chemical, and biological weapon defense force, who Ukraine has accused of using banned chemicals on the battlefield, met his end in a bomb blast outside an apartment building in Moscow on Tuesday.
Crucial Points
In accordance with Russian state-operated news outlet TASS, Lieutenant General Igor Kirillov and his assistant succumbed to injuries after a bomb concealed in a scooter near a residential building entrance detonated as the two exited.
Russian investigators mentioned to TASS that the targeted assassination appearance of the senior military officials was evident, and the bomb explosion was remotely triggered.
The investigators disclosed to TASS that the blast aimed at the apartment entrance through which Kirillov exited, and the explosive carried approximately 300 grams of TNT's destructive power.
An investigation has launched, but Russian authorities haven't announced any suspects relating to the explosion; it is, however, being treated as a terrorist act.
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Was Ukraine Behind the Killing?
On Monday, Ukraine's primary domestic security agency, the SBU, was found guilty in absentia of Kirillov for committing war crimes by employing "banned chemical weapons" against Ukrainian troops along the eastern and southern fronts. Even if the SBU has not publicly acknowledged responsibility for the killing, a Ukrainian law enforcement officer communicated anonymously to Politico the agency's involvement in the alleged assassination. "Kirillov was a war criminal, and a permissible target given he issued orders to use banned chemical weapons against the Ukrainian military...Retribution for war crimes is unavoidable," the source said. A similar statement was also shared with CBS News.
Background Information
Kirillov was hit with sanctions by the U.K. government in October, alongside other Russian government entities, for using chemical weapons against Ukrainian troops. The sanctions encompassed a travel ban and an asset freeze for Kirillov. The British Foreign Office declared during the sanction announcement, "Kirillov has also been a significant propaganda instrument for Kremlin disinformation, spreading lies to conceal Russia’s disgraceful and dangerous conduct." Additionally, the U.S. government accused the Russian military of using the chemical agent chloropicrin on the battlefield "in violation of the Chemical Weapons Convention." The State Department also added Russia's Radiological, Chemical, and Biological Defense Troops—which Kirillov headed—to its list of sanctioned entities.
Additional Resources
Russian General Accused by Kyiv of Chemical Weapons Crimes Killed in Moscow Bombing (Reuters)
Ukraine Assassinates Russian Chemical Weapons Chief in Moscow Bombing (Politico)
- There are allegations suggesting that Ukraine could be involved in the assassination of the Russian general, Igor Kirillov, given that Ukraine's domestic security agency, the SBU, was accused of using banned chemical weapons against Ukrainian troops and a source from the agency anonymously claimed their involvement in Kirillov's alleged assassination.
- The Russian nuclear defense forces are under scrutiny after the assassination of Lieutenant General Igor Kirillov, who was in charge of Russia's Radiological, Chemical, and Biological Defense Troops, and was killed in a bomb blast in Moscow. The use of banned chemicals on the battlefield by these forces, according to Ukraine, has led to sanctions against Kirillov and other Russian entities.