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Top Russian General Accused of Chemical Attacks Assassinated in Moscow by Ukrainian Intelligence

In a high-profile operation claimed by Ukraine’s SBU intelligence agency, Lieutenant General Igor Kirillov, the Russian commander accused of directing chemical attacks against Ukrainian forces, was assassinated in Moscow on Tuesday, December 17.

Kirillov, who led Russia’s Nuclear, Biological, and Chemical Protection Troops, was killed alongside his assistant in a bomb attack outside a residential building. The explosive device, hidden in an electric scooter, detonated as the two men exited the building on Ryazansky Prospekt, according to Russia’s Investigative Committee.

Ukraine Claims Responsibility

A source within Ukraine’s SBU confirmed to Reuters that the agency carried out the operation. “The liquidation of the chief of the radiation and chemical protection troops of the Russian Federation is the work of the SBU,” the source said, signaling Ukraine’s direct involvement in the assassination.

The attack followed charges filed in absentia by Ukraine’s state prosecutors against Kirillov for the alleged use of chemical weapons. Kirillov had been a key figure in Russia’s specialized troops tasked with handling operations in hazardous environments involving chemical, biological, and radioactive threats.

Russian Leadership Vows Retaliation

In response to the assassination, Dmitry Medvedev, former Russian president and a senior security official, condemned the act as terrorism and pledged retaliation.

“Law enforcement agencies must find the killers in Russia,” Medvedev stated on state television. “Everything must be done to destroy the masterminds (of the killing) who are in Kyiv. We know who these masterminds are. They are the military and political leadership of Ukraine.”

A Dramatic Escalation

Kirillov’s assassination marks a significant escalation in the ongoing conflict between Russia and Ukraine, with direct strikes on high-ranking military officials signaling Ukraine’s aggressive stance against Russian leadership.

As tensions rise, this targeted killing is likely to provoke further responses from Moscow, intensifying the already volatile situation between the two nations.

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