Ukraine claims it assassinated Russian general in charge of chemical and nuclear weapons

Ukraine’s security service claimed responsibility Tuesday for killing the head of Russia‘s chemical, radiological and biological weapons unit, Lt. Gen. Igor Kirillov.

The Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) was behind the detonation of an explosive device planted in a scooter next to the entrance of an apartment building in Moscow, according to a Ukrainian source briefed on the matter who was granted anonymity because they’re not authorized to speak publicly about sensitive operations.

The blast on Tuesday morning killed Kirillov and his assistant, who was not identified, according to Russian officials.

Russian officials did not immediately respond to Ukraine’s claim of responsibility for the blast.

On Monday, Ukraine’s security services charged Kirillov with the use of banned chemical weapons during Russia’s invasion of the country, which began in February 2022.

Russian investigators, forensic workers and emergency services were still working at the scene late Tuesday morning, with video published on Telegram by the Investigative Committee showing emergency responders parked outside an apartment building where one entrance could be seen visibly damaged.

The committee’s chairman, Alexander Bastrykin, ordered an investigation into Kirillov and his assistant’s deaths shortly after the blast hit. They did not name any suspects.

In October, Britain sanctioned Kirillov and the nuclear protection forces for the use of riot control agents and reports of the use of chloropicrin, a chemical choking agent, on the battlefield.

In a statement at the time, the British government said Kirillov was “responsible for helping deploy these barbaric weapons” and had also been “a significant mouthpiece for Kremlin disinformation, spreading lies to mask Russia’s shameful and dangerous behavior.”

Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova sought to defend Kirillov’s record, saying he had been “systematically exposing the crimes of the Anglo-Saxons for many years.”

“He worked fearlessly,” Zakharova said in a statement published to Telegram on Tuesday. “He met problems head on. For the Motherland, for the truth. Bright be his memory, may he rest in peace.”

Kirillov held several posts in the Directorate of the Chief of the Radiation, Chemical and Biological Defense troops since 2009 before leading the force, according to the Russian state-run news agency RIA.