Russia has arrested a 29-year-old Uzbek man in connection with the assassination of General Igor Kirillov, the head of Russia’s Radiation, Chemical, and Biological Protection Forces, and his assistant in Moscow.
The Federal Security Service (FSB) claims the suspect was recruited by Ukrainian intelligence to carry out the attack, which took place on December 17, 2024. Kirillov and his assistant were killed by an explosive device placed on an electric scooter near their residence. The bomb was remotely detonated as Kirillov stepped outside.
The FSB alleges that the suspect was promised $100,000 and relocation to the EU in exchange for the assassination. He reportedly used a rented car with a camera to monitor Kirillov’s movements, live-streaming the footage to handlers in Ukraine.
Ukraine’s Security Service (SBU) has claimed responsibility for the attack, citing Kirillov’s role in alleged war crimes, including overseeing the use of chemical weapons in Ukraine, which Russia denies.
In the wake of the assassination, Russia plans to raise the incident at the UN Security Council and is determined to identify and punish those behind the killing.
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