Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB) has detained a 29-year-old Uzbek national in connection with the assassination of Lt Gen Igor Kirillov, a high-ranking military figure and head of Russia’s Radiation, Chemical, and Biological Protection Forces, as well as his assistant.
The attack occurred early Tuesday outside Kirillov’s residential building in Moscow when a remotely detonated explosive device concealed in an electric scooter was triggered.
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The FSB alleges that the unnamed suspect was recruited by Ukrainian intelligence, a claim supported by state media. Ukraine’s security service had earlier admitted responsibility, labelling Kirillov, 54, as a “legitimate target” for alleged war crimes and his role in overseeing the use of banned chemical weapons—a charge Russia denies. Just a day before his death, Ukraine charged Kirillov in absentia for mass deployment of prohibited chemical agents.
In a statement, the FSB described the act as a terrorist attack, claiming the suspect confessed during interrogation to being promised $100,000 and safe passage to the European Union in exchange for carrying out the killing. According to the FSB, the suspect travelled to Moscow on Ukraine’s orders, received a homemade explosive device, and placed it on an electric scooter parked near Kirillov’s residence.
The agency stated that the suspect monitored the location using a rented car equipped with a dashboard camera livestreaming video to handlers in Dnipro, Ukraine. Upon receiving confirmation that Kirillov had exited the building, he allegedly detonated the bomb remotely.
Footage released by the FSB shows a man in handcuffs, wearing a visibly torn coat, apparently admitting to his involvement.
Kirillov’s death marks one of the highest-profile assassinations of a Russian military figure within the country since its invasion of Ukraine nearly three years ago. Previously sanctioned by the UK over the alleged use of chemical weapons, Kirillov was accused by Ukraine’s SBU of overseeing more than 4,800 instances of chemical weapons use—a claim Moscow denies, stating it eliminated its chemical arsenal in 2017.
The explosion caused significant damage to the entrance of Kirillov’s Moscow apartment block, with scorch marks on walls, shattered windows, and two bodies visible on the street in images from the scene.
Russia’s Foreign Ministry announced plans to raise Kirillov’s killing at the upcoming United Nations Security Council meeting on Friday. Officials in Moscow have vowed to bring all those involved in the attack to justice.
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