Explosion in Moscow kills Russian General Igor Kirillov, head of Radiation, Chemical, and Biological Forces
A deadly explosion claimed the life of General Igor Kirillov, head of the Radiation, Chemical and Biological Defense Forces, the Russian Investigative Committee reported on Tuesday, December 17. According to local authorities, Kirillov's assistant was also killed in the attack. Telegram channel Baza identifies the assistant as Ilya P., without disclosing his full name.
The explosion occurred on Ryazansky Prospect in Moscow at approximately 6 a.m. An improvised explosive device detonated as Kirillov and his aide were exiting a residential building on Ryazansky Prospect. Media reports suggest that the bomb was attached to or implanted in an electric scooter. Emergency services detailed the device's power, equivalent to about 200 grams of TNT.
The blast shattered windows from the first to the third floors of the apartment complex and damaged the building's entry door. Baza reports that General Kirillov's official vehicle also sustained damage.
Kirillov had been serving as the chief of the Radiation, Chemical and Biological Defense Forces since May 2017. Born in Kostroma on July 13, 1970, he graduated from the Kostroma Higher Military Command School of Chemical Defense. From 2009, Kirillov took on various roles within the RHCB Defense command structure. In the autumn of 2014, he was appointed head of the Marshal of the Soviet Union Timoshenko Military Academy of Radiation, Chemical and Biological Defense.
Since the onset of the war in Ukraine, Kirillov has held briefings discussing, among other topics, US military biological activities. By December 2023, he reported that Ukraine's Security Service (SBU) was planning a provocation involving a chemical warfare agent. Just before the explosion, the SBU had charged Kirillov with ordering the use of chemical weapons against the Ukrainian Armed Forces.