29-year-old Uzbek man arrested in connection with murder of General Igor Kirillov and his assistant
CNN reports that a 29-year-old Uzbek man has been taken into custody in relation to the murder of Igor Kirillov, a senior Russian general, and his aide in Moscow.
The suspect was operating on directions from the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU), according to Russia’s Investigative Committee. Additionally, according to the committee, the suspect was given USD 100,000 in cash as well as the chance to flee and reside in a European nation.
“The detainee received a homemade explosive device and placed it on an electric scooter which he parked at the entrance to the residential building where Igor Kirillov lived,” the committee said in a statement.
The committee also noted that the suspect had leased a vehicle and installed a surveillance camera in order to keep an eye on Kirillov’s home. According to CNN, the attack’s organizers in Dnipro, Ukraine’s eastern city, watched the video and remotely detonated the device when they saw Kirillov and his assistant leaving the Ryazansky Street building early on Tuesday morning.
According to CNN, which cited Russian investigators, Kirillov, who was charged with employing chemical weapons on Ukrainian battlefields, was murdered in a bombing in Moscow. Ukraine claims responsibility for the strike.
According to Russia’s Investigative Committee, Lieutenant General Kirillov, who oversaw Russia’s chemical, biological, and radiological protection forces, was killed by a remotely detonated bomb that was planted in an electric scooter outside an apartment building about seven kilometers southeast of the Kremlin.
The explosion occurred one day after Kirillov was found guilty in absentia by Ukrainian authorities of using prohibited chemical weapons during Russia’s invasion.
“Kirillov was a war criminal and an absolutely legitimate target, as he gave orders to use banned chemical substances against the Ukrainian military,” a source told CNN. “Anyone who murders Ukrainians will meet such a disgraceful end. War crimes will always result in retaliation.
Since the start of Russia-Ukraine in February 2022, Kirillov, 54, has been the highest ranking military officer to be assassinated. The explosion on Ryazansky Street also claimed the life of his aide, Ilya Polikarpov, as reported in Russian media.
