Russia has detained a 29-year-old Uzbek citizen accused of planting the bomb that killed lieutenant general Igor Kirillov, head of Russia’s Nuclear, Biological, and Chemical Protection Troops, in Moscow on Wednesday.
The suspect, who has confessed to the crime, said he was acting on the instructions of Ukraine‘s security service, as reported by Reuters news agency.
The attack occurred on Tuesday morning when a bomb hidden in an electric scooter exploded outside Kirillov’s apartment building on Ryazansky Avenue. Kirillov, 54, was killed instantly, along with his assistant, confirmed TASS.
The blast shattered windows and scorched nearby buildings. According to Russian media reports, the bomb was remotely detonated by organisers in Ukraine’s Dnipro.
The Russian investigative committee said the suspect had been recruited by Ukraine’s security service (SBU) and was promised $100,000 and a European Union residency in return for carrying out the assassination.
The suspect, who was detained in the village of Chernoye near Moscow, claimed to have placed the bomb on the scooter and set up a surveillance camera in a hire car nearby to track Kirillov’s movements. The bomb was triggered remotely when the general left his apartment.
Kirillov was a key figure in Russia’s military, overseeing the country’s chemical, biological, and radiological weapons units. His death comes after the SBU had accused him of using banned chemical weapons during Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, calling him a “war criminal,” as reported by the Associated Press. The SBU claimed responsibility for the attack, calling Kirillov an “entirely legitimate target.”
Russia has called the bombing an act of terrorism and vowing revenge. Dmitry Medvedev, deputy head of Russia’s security council, warned of “inevitable retribution” against Ukraine’s leadership in response to the attack.
The investigation is ongoing, with Russian authorities working to identify other individuals involved in the plot.