Lieutenant General Igor Kirillov, Head of Russia's Nuclear, Biological, and Chemical Defense Forces, was killed in an explosion in Moscow on Tuesday morning.

 

The blast, which also claimed the life of his assistant, occurred when a device concealed in an electric scooter detonated outside a residential building in southeast Moscow.

 

A source within Ukraine's Security Service (SBU) claimed responsibility for the attack, describing it as a special operation targeting Kirillov.

 

The SBU had previously accused Kirillov of war crimes, alleging his involvement in the use of prohibited chemical weapons against Ukrainian forces. In October, the United Kingdom imposed sanctions on him for similar reasons.

 

The Russian Investigative Committee has launched an inquiry into the incident, treating it as a potential act of terrorism. 

 

The assassination has prompted concerns about potential retaliatory actions and the possibility of further escalations in the ongoing tensions between Russia and Ukraine.