Russian general accused of using chemical weapons on Ukraine battlefield dies in bomb blast in Moscow
Moscow: According to media reports, which cited Russian investigators, Igor Kirillov, a senior Russian general who was charged with employing chemical weapons on Ukrainian battlefields, was killed 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 7 kilometers (4 miles) 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 the Russia-Ukraine war 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.
CNN was able to secure a video that captured the seconds leading up to the explosion that killed the two guys. To the right of the residential building’s entrance is the shape of what seems to be a scooter. The screen glows white, and the device explodes as the two guys go outside and approach a vehicle.
According to the Russian official news agency TASS, the device had explosive strength equivalent to around 300 grams of TNT. The incident has been investigated by Russia’s Investigative Committee, which has labeled it a “terrorist act.”
During World War I trench fighting, chloropicrin, which damages the eyes, skin, throat, and lungs, was produced as a tear gas. According to CNN, it was outlawed in 1993 by the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC), which Russia has ratified.
According to Ukraine’s SBU, since the start of the conflict, Kirillov has ordered more than 4,800 instances of Russian deployment of chemical weapons, including grenades with irritating chemical agents.
Prior to his passing, Kirillov’s government agency was under US sanctions for allegedly using the chemical agent chloropicrin on Ukrainian forces.
