A bomb concealed in an electric scooter killed a high-ranking Russian general in Moscow on Tuesday who was wanted by Ukraine, says Reuters. The bombing came a day after Ukrainian prosecutors charged the general in absentia with the use of banned chemical weapons in the war on Ukraine.
The blast claimed the life of Lieutenant General Igor Kirillov, the head of Russia’s Nuclear, Biological, and Chemical Protection Forces, as well as his assistant.
The explosion occurred near an apartment building on Ryazansky Prospekt, about 7 kilometers southeast of the Kremlin.
Images shared on Russian Telegram channels showed extensive damage to the building’s entrance, debris scattered across the area, and two bodies lying in blood-streaked snow.
Kirillov led Russia’s specialized Radiation, Chemical, and Biological Defense Troops (RKhBZ), elite units trained to operate in hazardous environments involving nuclear, chemical, or biological threats.
According to the Security Service of Ukraine, more than 4,800 cases of Russian use of chemical munitions have been recorded on Kirillov’s orders since the beginning of the war.
Authorities have launched a criminal investigation into the incident.
