SBU behind killing of Russian general charged with chemical weapons crimes, source claims

Editor's note: This is a developing story and is being updated.

Lieutenant General Igor Kirillov, the head of the Russian Armed Forces' radiation, chemical, and biological defense troops, was killed on Dec. 17 in an operation of the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU), a source in the agency told the Kyiv Independent.

Kirillov and another Russian service member were reportedly killed in an explosion earlier the same day at a residence in Moscow. Ukraine previously charged the commander with using banned chemical weapons in the war against Ukraine.

According to the source, explosives attached to a scooter detonated when Kirillov and his aide approached the entrance of the house on Ryazansky Prospect in Moscow.

The Kyiv Independent could not verify the claims.

"Kirillov was a war criminal and completely legitimate target, as he gave orders to use banned chemical weapons against the Ukrainian military," the source said.

"Retribution for war crimes is inevitable."

Russia's use of gas attacks is rising, a Kyiv Independent investigation from August showed. Ukrainian soldiers and officers interviewed by the Kyiv Independent acknowledged that the tactic is effective, allowing Moscow to capture positions occasionally without destroying them.

The U.K. issued sanctions against Kirillov and his unit over the use of chemical weapons on the battlefield in Ukraine on Oct. 8.

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