According to reports, a top Russian general who oversaw the military’s chemical, biological, and radioactive weapons unit was assassinated by a covert operation carried out by Ukraine. According to unverified allegations from Kyiv, the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) conducted the operation as “retribution” for the use of prohibited chemical weapons by Russia within Ukrainian territory.
On Tuesday morning, an explosive device on a scooter detonated outside a Moscow apartment complex, killing Lieutenant General Igor Kirillov. According to Russian state media TASS, Kirillov and his assistant perished when the explosion destroyed a building in the residential neighborhood.
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In October, Britain also sanctioned Kirillov for using a choking chemical called chloropicrin, which is an oily liquid with a strong odor. The Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) has banned it since it was widely used as tear gas during World War I.
However, Russia asserted that it has no military chemical arsenal.
The bodies of the general and his assistant were seen in blood-soaked snow close to the door of a structure that was covered in debris in photos taken from Moscow. The blast seriously damaged the front door and broke several of the building’s windows.
The murder was described by Russian media as “an unprecedented crime committed in Moscow” that will be looked into.
