Lieutenant General Igor Kirillov, head of the Russian Armed Forces’ radiation, chemical, and biological defence troops, was killed in an explosion on Ryazansky Prospekt in Moscow. Kirillov had recently been served a notice of suspicion in absentia by Ukraine’s SBU for ordering the use of banned chemical weapons against the Ukrainian Armed Forces.
The incident, reported by Astra, also resulted in the death of Kirillov’s assistant, whose identity remains undisclosed. According to witnesses, the explosion occurred as the men were leaving a residential building, with residents suggesting that an explosive device had been planted in a scooter parked nearby.
Kirillov’s death was later officially confirmed by Russian authorities.
The day before his death, the SBU accused Kirillov of responsibility for over 4,800 recorded cases of chemical weapons use since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion. The incidents included K-1 combat grenades armed with banned irritant agents CS and CN, prohibited under the 1993 Chemical Weapons Convention.
Kirillov had led Russia’s Radiation, Chemical, and Biological Defence Troops since April 2017, following his tenure at the Tymoshenko Military Academy of Chemical and Biological Defence. He was also known for spreading unfounded accusations that Ukraine was developing chemical and biological weapons.