Top Russian General Linked To Chemical Attacks Assassinated In Moscow By Ukrainian Intelligence

Lieutenant General Igor Kirillov, the Russian commander accused by Ukraine of overseeing chemical weapons use against its troops, was assassinated in Moscow on Tuesday (17 December) morning in a dramatic strike claimed by Ukraine’s SBU intelligence service.

Kirillov, who led Russia’s Nuclear, Biological, and Chemical Protection Troops, was killed in a bomb attack outside an apartment building, along with his assistant. The bomb, concealed in an electric scooter, exploded as the two men exited the building, according to Russia's Investigative Committee.

A source within the SBU confirmed to Reuters that the Ukrainian intelligence agency was responsible for the operation. 

"The liquidation of the chief of the radiation and chemical protection troops of the Russian Federation is the work of the SBU," the source stated. The explosion occurred on Ryazansky Prospekt, Moscow, as Kirillov and his aide were walking outside.

Dmitry Medvedev, former president and current senior Russian security official, vowed that Moscow would retaliate for what he labeled a terrorist act. 

"Law enforcement agencies must find the killers in Russia," Medvedev declared on state television. "Everything must be done to destroy the masterminds (of the killing) who are in Kyiv. We know who these masterminds are. They are the military and political leadership of Ukraine," he added.

Kirillov’s assassination came a day after Ukraine's state prosecutors charged him in absentia for the alleged use of chemical weapons. Kirillov commanded Russia’s specialized troops, responsible for operating in extreme, hazardous environments involving radioactive, chemical, and biological threats.

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