Moscow – The head of Russia’s Nuclear, Biological and Chemical Defense Forces, Lt. Gen. Igor Kirillov, was killed along with his deputy early Tuesday in an explosion in Moscow, Russia’s Investigative Committee said .
An explosive device hidden in an electronic scooter exploded outside a residential building as the two men were leaving the structure, Agence France-Presse quoted investigators as saying.
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“Investigators, forensic experts and operational services are working at the scene,” committee spokeswoman Svetlana Petrenko said in a statement. “Investigative and research activities are being carried out to establish all the circumstances surrounding this crime.”
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The committee conducts important responsible investigations in Russia.
Kirillov was convicted in absentia by a Ukrainian court on December 16 of using chemical weapons banned in Ukraine during Russian military operation in Ukraine which started in February 2022.
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Ukraine’s Security Service, the SBU, said it had recorded more than 4,800 uses of chemical weapons on the battlefield since February 2022, particularly K-1 combat grenades.
During the nearly 3-year operation, Russia has made small but steady territorial gains in the nearly one-fifth of Ukraine it already controls.
Kirillov had been in his position since 2017, AFP notes.