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Igor Kirillov (general)

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Igor Kirillov
Kirillov in 2019
Native name
Игорь Анатольевич Кириллов
Born(1970-07-13)13 July 1970
Kostroma, Russian SFSR, USSR
Died17 December 2024(2024-12-17) (aged 54)
Moscow, Russia
Cause of deathAssassinated by scooter bombing
Allegiance Russia
Service / branch Russian Ground Forces
RankLieutenant general
CommandsRussian NBC Protection Troops
Awards
Alma materNBC Protection Military Academy

Igor Anatolyevich Kirillov (Russian: Игорь Анатольевич Кириллов; 13 July 1970 – 17 December 2024) was a Russian lieutenant general.[1] He was the head of the Chemical, Biological, and Nuclear Defense Troops of the Russian Armed Forces until his assassination in 2024 by Ukrainian security forces. Kirillov was the highest-ranking Russian military official to be killed outside the front lines since Russia's 2022 invasion of Ukraine.[2] Kirillov's military unit has been accused by the US and Ukraine of having used the chemical weapon chloropicrin,[3] outlawed internationally by the Chemical Weapons Convention, which Russia has ratified.

Biography

Kirillov was born on 13 July 1970 in Kostroma, Russian Soviet Republic.[4]

He was in the Armed Forces of the USSR from 1987. In 1991, he graduated with honours from the Kostroma Higher Military Command School of Chemical Defense.[5] From 1991 to 1994, he served as a platoon commander in the Western Group of Forces. After the latter left Germany, he served in the Moscow Military District. From 1995, he held positions successively from company commander to brigade commander of a separate radiation, chemical, and biological protection brigade.[6]

From 2005 to 2007, he studied at the NBC Protection Military Academy.[7]

From 2009, he served in various positions in the Office of the Chief of the Russian NBC Protection Troops of the Russian Armed Forces.[8]

In September 2014, Kirillov was appointed head of the Timoshenko NBC Protection Military Academy.[9]

In April 2017, Kirillov became the head of the NBC Protection Troops of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation.[10][11][12][13] He took part in the creation and adoption of the new multiple rocket launcher TOS-2 "Tosochka".[14]

Russian invasion of Ukraine

Following the Russian invasion of Ukraine, for direct participation in military actions against a sovereign state, Kirillov was added to the international sanctions list.[15] On 23 February 2022, he was added to Canada's sanctions list.[15] On 19 October 2022, he was added to the sanctions list of Ukraine.[16] He was also sanctioned by the United Kingdom on 8 October 2024.[17]

According to the Security Service of Ukraine, since February 2022, there have been 4,800 cases of deployment of chemical weapons by Russia in the invasion of Ukraine.[18] Kirillov appeared regularly on Russian television during the war, where he accused the U.S. of helping Ukraine build secret laboratories for biological weapons and claimed Ukraine was developing a dirty bomb, claims for which there is no evidence.[18][19][20]

According to the U.S. Department of State, Russia used chloropicrin under Kirillov's auspices, a choking agent widely used in World War I, as well as tear gas on the battlefield. The chemical weapons included combat grenades equipped with the irritant chemical agents CS and CN, which are banned in warfare under the Chemical Weapons Convention.[1]

On 16 December 2024, Ukraine charged Kirillov in absentia for using banned chemical weapons during the Russo-Ukrainian war.[21] According to Ukrainian officials, over 2,000 troops were hospitalized and three died as a result of chemical weapons attacks under Kirillov's command.[20]

Assassination

Dashcam footage showing Kirillov's death

Kirillov was killed in an explosion in Moscow on 17 December 2024 at approximately 6:12 a.m. MSK. He died along with an assistant whose name was given by Russian authorities as Ilya Polikarpov (Илья Поликарпов)[22] as they were leaving a residential complex along the Ryazansky Prospekt area. The blast was caused by a detonation of an explosive device planted on an electric scooter, which was powerful enough to shatter windows in a building across the street.[23][1][24] According to Russian state media, the explosive device contained approximately the same amount of explosives as those used in the 2010 Moscow Metro bombings that killed 40 people and injured 80.[2] The explosive device contained approximately 300 grams of TNT equivalent.[20][25]

Reactions

The Security Service of Ukraine claimed responsibility for the assassination.[26] A source in the Security Service of Ukraine stated that Kirillov "was a war criminal and a perfectly legitimate target" and warned that "such a disgraceful end awaits all those who kill Ukrainians."[20] According to Russian state media TASS, investigators found a hidden camera used to monitor Kirillov in a car-sharing vehicle nearby.[27]

Following the assassination, former president Dmitry Medvedev, who serves as deputy chairman of the Russian Security Council, pledged "inevitable retaliation" against Ukraine's military and political leadership.[1] Other Russian officials paid tribute to Kirillov following his death. Maria Zakharova, spokesperson for the Russian Foreign Ministry, said Kirillov "worked fearlessly" and "did not hide behind backs." Andrey Kartapolov, chairman of the Defense Committee of the State Duma, called him a "dignified Russian general" and "leader of his organization who was looked up to."[2] After the assassination, Vyacheslav Volodin, chairman of the State Duma, held a moment of silence for Kirillov, describing him as "not only a military leader, but first and foremost a scientist."[27]

A spokesman for British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said London was "not going to mourn" Kirillov's death, saying he had "imposed suffering and death on the Ukrainian people".

State Department spokesman Matthew Miller confirmed the United States was "not aware of it in advance and was not involved", while denouncing Kirillov's "atrocities" and involvement in chemical weapons use against Ukrainian forces.[28]

Arrest of suspect

On 18 December, a day after the assassination, the Russian Federal Security Service (FSB) announced that a male 29-year-old Uzbek national had been arrested under suspicion of involvement in the assassination. The FSB claimed that the suspect had confessed that he was recruited by Ukrainian intelligence agencies to conduct the assassination and that the operation had been livestreamed by Ukrainian operatives based in Dnipro.[29][30][22] He was subsequently named as Akhmad Kurbanov[31] and has been remanded for two months pre-trial detention.[32]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c d Troianovski, Anton; Méheut, Constant (17 December 2024). "Who Was Gen. Igor Kirillov, the Russian General Assassinated in Moscow?". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 17 December 2024. Retrieved 17 December 2024.
  2. ^ a b c Timsit, Annabelle; Abbakumova, Natalia; Stern, David L. (17 December 2024). "Who Is Igor Kirillov, the Russian Nuclear Defense Chief Killed in Moscow?". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on 17 December 2024. Retrieved 17 December 2024.
  3. ^ Chernova, Anna; Edwards, Christian; Szekeres, Edward (18 December 2024). "Russia Detains Uzbek National over Bomb Assassination of Senior General". CNN. Retrieved 19 December 2024.
  4. ^ "В Москве убит генерал Игорь Кириллов. Главное" [General Igor Kirillov was killed in Moscow]. www.rbc.ru (in Russian). 17 December 2024. Retrieved 17 December 2024.
  5. ^ "Russian General Charged With Chemical Weapons Use In Ukraine Killed In Blast Claimed By Kyiv". RadioFreeEurope/RadioLiberty. 17 December 2024. Retrieved 18 December 2024.
  6. ^ Obituaries, Telegraph (17 December 2024). "Igor Kirillov, senior Kremlin figure accused of deploying chemical weapons in Ukraine". The Telegraph. Retrieved 18 December 2024.
  7. ^ Glenn, Mike (17 December 2024). "Ukraine claims it killed a top Russian WMD general with a bomb in Moscow". The Washington Times. Retrieved 17 December 2024.
  8. ^ "Igor Kirillov in-charge of nuclear protection forces killed in Moscow blast, Ukraine claims responsibility". The Times of India. 17 December 2024. Retrieved 17 December 2024.
  9. ^ Кириллов Игорь. "Военная академия РХБЗ — главный учебно-методический центр войсковой радиационной, химической и биологической защиты — Игорь Кириллов — Военный совет — Эхо Москвы, 11.03.2017" [The Military Academy of the RCBZ is the main educational and methodological center for military radiation, chemical and biological defense – Igor Kirillov – Military Council – Echo Moscow, 03/11/2017]. Эхо Москвы (Echo Moscow) (in Russian). Archived from the original on 3 September 2021. Retrieved 3 September 2021.
  10. ^ "Начальником войск РХБ-защиты стал генерал-майор Игорь Кириллов" [Major General Igor Kirillov has become the Chief of the NBC Defense Troops]. ТАСС. Archived from the original on 3 September 2021. Retrieved 3 September 2021.
  11. ^ "Кострома. Кириллов И.А. выступил с лекцией на тему: "Современное состояние и перспективы развития войск РХБ защиты Вооруженных Сил Российской Федерации"" [Kostroma. Kirillov I. A. gave a lecture on the topic: "The current state and development prospects of the NBC defense troops of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation".]. www.moovso.ru. Archived from the original on 3 September 2021. Retrieved 3 September 2021.
  12. ^ "Новости – Фонд "ОФИЦЕРСКОЕ БРАТСТВО" поздравил генерал-лейтенанта Игоря Кириллова с юбилеем" [News – The "OFFICERS' BROTHERHOOD" Foundation congratulated Lieutenant General Igor Kirillov on his anniversary]. www.fondob.ru. Archived from the original on 3 September 2021. Retrieved 3 September 2021.
  13. ^ "Игорь Кириллов: "Формула защиты от триады угроз"" [Igor Kirillov: "Formula for protection against a triad of threats"]. ИА «Оружие России». Archived from the original on 3 September 2021. Retrieved 3 September 2021.
  14. ^ "ТОС-2 Тосочка. Описание. Назначение. ТТХ. Фото. Видео" [TOS-2 Tosochka. Description. Purpose. TTX. Photo. Video.]. Оружие | Военная техника | Армия (in Russian). 24 March 2021. Archived from the original on 4 September 2021. Retrieved 4 September 2021.
  15. ^ a b "КИРИЛЛОВ Игорь Анатольевич – биография, досье, активы | Война и санкции" [KIRILLOV Igor Anatolyevich – biography, dossier, assets | War and sanctions]. sanctions.nazk.gov.ua (in Russian). Archived from the original on 19 June 2023. Retrieved 19 June 2023.
  16. ^ "УКАЗ ПРЕЗИДЕНТА УКРАЇНИ №726/2022 Про рішення Ради національної безпеки і оборони України від 19 жовтня 2022 року «Про застосування та внесення змін до персональних спеціальних економічних та інших обмежувальних заходів (санкцій)»" [DECREE OF THE PRESIDENT OF UKRAINE No. 726/2022 About the decision for the sake of national security and defense of Ukraine on June 19, 2022 "On the establishment and introduction of changes to personal special economic and other intermediate entry (sanctions)"]. Офіційне Інтернет-Представництво Президента України. Archived from the original on 22 October 2022. Retrieved 19 June 2023.
  17. ^ "UK slaps sanctions on Russian forces for chemical weapons use in Ukraine". The Kyiv Independent. 8 October 2024. Retrieved 8 October 2024.
  18. ^ a b "Russischer General bei Explosion in Moskau getötet" [Russian general killed in explosion in Moscow]. tagesschau.de (in German). Retrieved 17 December 2024.
  19. ^ "Ukrainische Biowaffen? Keine Belege für Russlands Vorwürfe" [Ukrainian bioweapons? No evidence for Russia's allegations]. dw.com (in German). 3 May 2022. Retrieved 17 December 2024.
  20. ^ a b c d "The killing of a Russian general shows Ukraine's spies remain lethal". The Economist. 17 December 2024. Archived from the original on 17 December 2024. Retrieved 17 December 2024.
  21. ^ Boldizsar Gyori (16 December 2024). "Ukraine charges Russian general over use of banned chemical weapons". The Kyiv Independent. Retrieved 16 December 2024.
  22. ^ a b "Russia detains Uzbek suspect over murder of top general in Moscow blast". Al Jazeera. 18 December 2024. Retrieved 18 December 2024.
  23. ^ Sauer, Pjotr; Harding, Luke (17 December 2024). "Lieutenant General Igor Kirillov: Russian general killed in Moscow explosion". The Guardian. Retrieved 18 December 2024.
  24. ^ "Chief of Russian nuclear protection forces killed in Moscow bomb blast". Al Jazeera. Retrieved 17 December 2024.
  25. ^ "Igor Kirillov: Russian general killed in Moscow explosion". BBC News. Retrieved 17 December 2024.
  26. ^ "Key Russian general killed in Moscow bomb blast claimed by Ukraine". CNN. 17 December 2024. Retrieved 17 December 2024.
  27. ^ a b Troianovski, Anton; Méheut, Constant (17 December 2024). "Ukraine Says It Killed General Who Led Russia's Nuclear Defense Force". The New York Times. Retrieved 17 December 2024.
  28. ^ "Who Was Igor Kirillov, the Highest-Ranking Assassinated Russian General?". The Moscow Times. 17 December 2024. Retrieved 17 December 2024.
  29. ^ "What is known about apprehension of perpetrator of terror attack on Russian general". TASS. 18 December 2024. Retrieved 18 December 2024.
  30. ^ Walker, Amy (18 December 2024). "Igor Kirillov: Russia detains Uzbek man over general's killing". BBC News. Retrieved 18 December 2024.
  31. ^ "Did Russian resistance kill one of the country's top generals?". ABC News. 18 December 2024. Retrieved 22 December 2024.
  32. ^ "Suspect in killing of top Russian general sent to pre-trial detention for two months, court says". Reuters. 19 December 2024. Retrieved 22 December 2024.
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