Lieutenant General Igor Kirillov, head of Russia’s Nuclear, Biological, and Chemical Defense Troops, was killed in a bomb explosion in Moscow on December 17, 2024. The blast occurred near his residence on Ryazansky Prospekt, where an explosive device concealed in an electric scooter detonated as Kirillov was leaving his apartment. His assistant also died in the attack.
The Ukrainian Security Service (SBU) has claimed responsibility for the assassination, labeling Kirillov a war criminal for allegedly deploying banned chemical weapons against Ukrainian forces. Ukrainian officials have accused Russian forces of using chemical weapons, including K-1 combat grenades and chloropicrin, a chemical agent first used in World War I, against Ukrainian troops.
Kirillov, 54, had been a prominent figure in Russia’s military, serving in various capacities related to hazardous materials since 1987. He was appointed head of the NBC Protection Troops in April 2017 and was known for his statements regarding U.S. biological laboratories in Ukraine.