Early this morning, an explosion in a Moscow neighbourhood killed Russian Lt Gen Igor Kirillov and his assistant, Ilya Polikarpov. Sources within Ukraine’s Security Service (SBU) say it was behind the blast.
Sources in Kyiv say Ukraine killed a Russian general who died in an explosion in Moscow on Tuesday morning
According to a source, a scooter with explosives was detonated when Kirillov and his assistant approached the building in Moscow this morning.
The source claims that Kirillov was “a legitimate target” since he was a war criminal who gave orders to use banned chemical weapons against the Ukrainian military.
Lt Gen Igor Kirillov was at the entrance to a residential block when a device hidden in an electric scooter went off.
On Monday, Kirillov was charged in Kyiv for the use of banned chemical weapons in Ukraine – Kirillov had already been sanctioned by the UK.
Kirillov was accused of using Chloropicrin, a gas used in the First World War, against Ukrainian troops in trenches, writes our security correspondent Frank Gardner.
The bomb that killed Kirillov was remotely operated, Russian media reports – pictures show a scooter with the handlebars seemingly blown off.
Russia editor Steve Rosenberg, reporting from the scene, says Kirillov’s killing brings the war home to Muscovites.
Here’s a recap:
Kirillov headed Russia’s Radiological, Biological, and Chemical Defence Forces (NBC). Just yesterday, Ukraine charged Kirillov in absentia for war crimes – it says he oversaw the use of chemical weapons against Ukrainian soldiers.
The bomb was detonated remotely, according to Russian state media, and contained anywhere from 300g to 1kg of explosives.
The bomb was seemingly planted on a scooter outside the building and went off when Kirillov and his aide left this morning.
Kirillov was known for outlandish claims and had long suggested Ukraine was developing a “dirty” nuclear bomb. He was described by the UK as “a significant mouthpiece for Russian disinformation.”
Ukraine has been stepping up its assassinations, our defence correspondent Jonathan Beale writes.
The SBU is believed to be behind the deaths of two other Russian officials in recent weeks.
And – from the scene – our Russia editor Steve Rosenberg says the explosion brings the Ukraine war home for people in the capital.
BBC Verify has analysed images from the blast site, where the scooter can clearly be seen ahead of the explosion.
BBC
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