MOSCOW — A bomb planted near an apartment building in Moscow killed Lt. Gen. Igor Kirillov, the head of Russia’s nuclear and chemical defense forces, and his assistant early Tuesday, Russian officials said.
The explosive device, which had been placed in a scooter and triggered remotely, detonated with the force of about 300 grams of TNT, according to Russia’s state news agency Tass, which cited emergency services sources.
State television footage showed shattered windows, scorched brickwork, and debris around the blast site.
“Investigators, forensic experts, and operational services are working at the scene,” said Svetlana Petrenko, a spokeswoman for Russia’s Investigative Committee. She added that the incident is being treated as a terrorist attack and that authorities are conducting search operations to determine those responsible.
Kirillov’s Role and Sanctions
Kirillov, who was appointed head of Russia’s nuclear and chemical defense forces in April 2017, had been sanctioned by several countries, including the United Kingdom and Canada, for his role in Russia’s war in Ukraine.
The Ukrainian Security Services (SBU) accused Kirillov on Dec. 16 of orchestrating the use of banned chemical weapons during Russia’s military campaign, which began in February 2022.
The U.S. State Department said in May that it had documented Russia’s use of chloropicrin, a chemical weapon dating back to World War I, against Ukrainian troops. Ukrainian officials also claimed that Russian forces had used chemical weapons over 4,800 times since the invasion began, particularly deploying K-1 combat grenades.
A series of attacks on Russian officials
The bombing that killed Kirillov is the latest in a series of attacks targeting Russian officials and military figures.
On Dec. 9, an explosive device detonated under a car in the Russian-occupied Ukrainian city of Donetsk, reportedly targeting Sergei Yevsyukov, the head of the Olenivka Prison. That facility gained international attention when dozens of Ukrainian prisoners of war were killed in a missile strike in July 2022. Another individual was injured in the explosion.
Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB) announced on Sunday that it had arrested and charged a suspect in connection with that attack.
The attack on Kirillov comes as Russia’s military operation in Ukraine approaches its third year. Russian forces have made incremental territorial gains since the start of the invasion, adding to the roughly one-fifth of Ukraine that remains under Russian control.
The Kremlin has yet to comment publicly on Tuesday’s bombing, but the attack is likely to intensify concerns over the security of Russian officials amid the ongoing conflict.
