By Nakiwala Barbra
Lieutenant General Igor Kirillov, the head of Russia’s nuclear protection forces, was killed in a powerful explosion in Moscow on Tuesday.
According to Russian state media, the blast occurred as Kirillov was leaving a residential building, where a device concealed inside a scooter detonated. The remotely operated bomb contained approximately 300 grams of explosives and caused significant damage to the area.
The explosion, described by witnesses as extremely loud, left residents shaken. A local woman told Reuters: “At first, we thought it might have been construction work, but the blast was so loud that it was terrifying. It didn’t seem like something ordinary.” Investigators are now looking into how the device was placed and remotely triggered in such a high-security zone.
Kirillov’s death comes just one day after he was charged in absentia by Ukrainian authorities for allegedly using banned chemical weapons during Russia’s ongoing war in Ukraine. He had previously been sanctioned by the UK and other Western nations for his involvement in chemical weapons deployment and for spreading Kremlin disinformation to justify Russia’s military actions.
This incident has sparked heightened security concerns in Moscow, particularly given Kirillov’s role in Russia’s strategic nuclear defenses. Authorities have yet to determine who is responsible for the attack, but it marks a rare and bold strike against a high-ranking military official.
