- A top general in charge of Russian nuclear protection forces has been killed along with an aide by a bomb hidden in an electric scooter in Moscow, according to Russia’s investigative committee.
- A source in the Security Service of Ukraine says the agency claims responsibility for the killing of Lieutenant General Igor Kirillov. Ukraine has yet to officially comment.
- The 54-year-old, a key figure in Russia’s war in Ukraine, was killed outside an apartment building on Ryazansky Prospekt.
- Kirillov was the head of the country’s radiological, chemical and biological defence, responsible for protection against threats from nuclear, chemical and biological weapons.
- List of targeted killingsRussia has accused Ukraine of carrying out a number of assassinations on its soil since its full-scale invasion of Ukraine began in February 2022.Some of the most high-profile cases are:
- The August 2022 killing of Darya Dugina, the daughter of Russian ultranationalist Alexander Dugin, in a car bombingThe April 2023 killing of pro-war blogger Vladlen Tatarsky in a cafe bombingThe July 2023 shooting of submarine commander Stanislav Rzhitsky, who was accused of war crimes by UkraineNovember’s killing of senior naval officer Valery Trankovsky in a car bombing in Sevastopol
- Ukraine reports overnight Russian drone attackThe Ukrainian air force says it has downed 20 Russia-launched drones overnight.Ukrainian officials wrote on Telegram that Russia launched a total of 31 drones and 10 did not reach their targets. One was still in the air.
- Russian Foreign Ministry pays tribute to KirillovWe have some comments from Maria Zakharova, spokeswoman for Russia’s Foreign Ministry, about the slain general.Zakharova said Kirillov worked “fearlessly” for “the Motherland” to expose what she said were the West’s chemical weapons-related and other crimes, as well as what Moscow says were cover-ups in Syria and elsewhere.
- Photos: The aftermath of bomb blast that killed Kirillov
- Russian investigators say the explosive was hidden inside an electric scooter [Yuri Kochetkov/ EPA-EFE]
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- The device was reportedly detonated remotely [Sefa Karacan/Anadolu Agency]
- [Yuri Kochetkov/EPA]
- [Yuri Kochetkov/EPA]
- Ukraine’s Security Service claims responsibility for Moscow bombingA source in the Security Service of Ukraine, talking to Al Jazeera, has claimed responsibility for the bombing that killed Kirillov.
Russia-Ukraine war live: General Igor Kirillov killed in Moscow bomb blast
