Official statements from Russian authorities or the Investigative Committee

Russian Chemical Defense Chief Lt. Gen. Kirillov, Assistant Killed in Moscow Blast

Dec 17, 2024, 05:57 AM

Lieutenant General Igor Kirillov, the head of the Radiological, Chemical, and Biological Defense Troops of the Russian Armed Forces, was killed along with his assistant, identified as Ilya P., in an explosion in Moscow early on December 17, 2024. The explosion occurred near the entrance of an apartment building on Ryazansky Prospekt around 6 AM, reportedly caused by an explosive device attached to a parked electric scooter. The Investigative Committee's spokeswoman, Svetlana Petrenko, confirmed the deaths. Kirillov was a high-ranking military official responsible for Russia's nuclear, chemical, and biological defense forces. Ukrainian prosecutors had charged him with war crimes involving the use of chemical weapons just one day prior to his death.