The head of Russia’s Nuclear, Biological and Chemical Defense Forces, Lieutenant General Igor Kirillov, was killed Tuesday morning in an explosion triggered by a device placed in a building in Moscow, Russian officials said.
Kirillov’s assistant, who was not named, was also killed in the explosion, Russia’s Investigative Committee said in a statement published Tuesday on Telegram.
The explosive device detonated in a scooter parked next to the entrance to a residential building on Ryazansky Prospekt in Moscow.
Investigators, medical examiners and emergency responders were still working at the scene Tuesday morning.
Ukrainian security services on Monday accused Kirillov of using banned chemical weapons during Russia’s invasion of the country, which began in February 2022.
In October, Britain sanctioned Kirillov and the nuclear protection forces for the use of riot control agents and for reports of the use of chloropicrin, a choking chemical agent, on the battlefield.
In a statement at the time, the British government said Kirillov was “responsible for contributing to the deployment of these barbaric weapons” and had also been “a leading voice for Kremlin disinformation, spreading lies to cover up Russia’s shameful and dangerous behavior.
Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova sought to defend Kirillov’s record, saying he had “systematically denounced the crimes of the Anglo-Saxons for many years.”
“He worked without fear. He did not hide behind people’s backs,” Zakharova said in a statement published on Telegram on Tuesday. “He faced problems head on. For the Fatherland, for the truth. His memory is brilliant, may he rest in peace.”
This is a developing story. Please check again for updates.
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