Published 16:51 IST, December 17th 2024
Who Was Igor Kirillov, Russia’s Top General Assassinated in Moscow Blast?
Kirillov was killed on Tuesday in a targeted explosion near a residential apartment block in Moscow.

New Delhi, India: Lt. General Igor Kirillov, head of Russia's Nuclear, Biological, and Chemical Defence Forces (RKhBZ), was a key figure in the Kremlin’s military apparatus, particularly in operations involving chemical, biological, and radioactive warfare. Kirillov was killed on Tuesday in a targeted explosion near a residential apartment block in Moscow, an incident that also claimed the life of his assistant. Russian authorities confirmed the blast was caused by an explosive device planted in a scooter.
Who Was Igor Kirillov?
Kirillov, 54, was a senior military official appointed as head of the RKhBZ in 2017. His role was to oversee troops tasked with responding to nuclear, chemical, and biological threats while protecting Russian ground forces operating in hazardous conditions.
Before leading the RKhBZ, he served as chief of Russia’s prestigious Timoshenko Radiation, Chemical, and Biological Protection Academy.
Kirillov's legacy, however, remains shrouded in allegations of war crimes. His forces were reportedly accused of deploying banned chemical weapons during Russia's ongoing military operation in Ukraine, which began in February 2022.
According to Ukraine’s Security Service (SBU), there have been more than 4,800 documented instances of Russian forces using chemical munitions on Ukrainian soil, including K-1 combat grenades and the toxic agent chloropicrin—a substance with choking effects that is prohibited under international law.
On December 16, just days before his death, a Ukrainian court sentenced Kirillov in absentia for the “mass use” of prohibited chemical weapons. Ukraine’s SBU described his actions as “barbaric” and accused him of overseeing the repeated deployment of these devastating munitions on Ukrainian forces and civilians.
Updated 16:51 IST, December 17th 2024