Tue Dec 17 07:30:14 UTC 2024: ## Top Russian General Killed in Moscow Bombing
**Moscow, Russia** – Lieutenant General Igor Kirillov, the head of Russia’s Nuclear, Biological, and Chemical Defence Forces (NBC), was killed in a bomb explosion in Moscow on Tuesday morning. The explosion, which also reportedly killed Kirillov’s assistant, occurred near a residential building as the general was leaving. Russian state media reported that a remotely detonated device, containing approximately 300 grams of explosives hidden in a scooter, was responsible.
Kirillov’s death comes just one day after the Ukrainian Security Service (SBU) charged him in absentia with war crimes, specifically the use of banned chemical weapons in Ukraine. The SBU alleges over 4,800 instances of chemical weapon use by Russian forces since the beginning of the full-scale invasion in February 2022, resulting in over 2,000 Ukrainian service members hospitalized and three deaths from chemical poisoning. They claim Russian forces deployed these weapons via drones.
The UK, Canada, and New Zealand had previously sanctioned Kirillov for his role in the deployment of chemical weapons in Ukraine, and for spreading Kremlin disinformation to cover up Russia’s actions. The Kremlin has consistently denied these allegations.
The investigation into Kirillov’s assassination is ongoing. The circumstances surrounding the attack, particularly the apparent precision targeting of a high-ranking military official in the heart of Moscow, raise significant questions about the perpetrators and their motives. The incident is likely to further escalate tensions in the ongoing conflict between Russia and Ukraine.
First Piper 