Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB) has detained a 29-year-old Uzbek man in connection with the assassination of General Igor Kirillov, head of the Radiation, Chemical, and Biological Protection Forces, in Moscow. Kirillov was killed on Tuesday when an explosive device hidden in a scooter detonated remotely outside his apartment building.
The FSB claims that the suspect was recruited by Ukrainian intelligence, who allegedly offered him $100,000 and EU relocation in exchange for carrying out the assassination. According to the FSB, the suspect was given a homemade explosive device, which he placed on the scooter near Kirillov’s residence. When the general emerged, the suspect remotely detonated the device, killing Kirillov and his assistant.
Ukraine’s security service confirmed its involvement in the killing, labeling Kirillov as a “legitimate target” due to his role in alleged war crimes. Kirillov had been charged by Ukraine for the mass use of banned chemical weapons. Russia, however, has denied these allegations, claiming that its chemical weapons stockpile was destroyed in 2017.
The FSB released a video of the suspect, who confessed to his involvement during interrogation. The footage showed him explaining how he monitored Kirillov’s movements and waited for the right moment to carry out the attack.
Following the killing, Russia’s Foreign Ministry vowed to hold those responsible accountable and announced plans to raise the issue at the United Nations Security Council. Kirillov’s death marks one of the highest-profile assassinations of a Russian military official within the country since the invasion of Ukraine nearly three years ago.
