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One of Russia’s most senior military officials, Lt. Gen. Igor Kirillov, was killed on December 17, 2024, when a bomb hidden in a scooter detonated outside his apartment building in Moscow. Kirillov served as the head of Russia’s nuclear, biological, and chemical protection forces.

The 54-year-old military general was one of the key figureheads of Russia’s top military brass and was under sanctions by multiple Western nations, including the United Kingdom and Canada, for his alleged role in Moscow’s war against Ukraine.

The explosion, which also claimed the life of Kirillov’s assistant, came just a day after Ukraine’s Security Service (SBU) opened a criminal investigation against him, accusing him of orchestrating the use of banned chemical weapons during Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

An anonymous SBU official confirmed responsibility for the attack, calling Kirillov a “war criminal and an entirely legitimate target.” The official, who provided video footage purportedly showing the bombing, spoke on condition of anonymity as they were not authorized to comment publicly.

NEW: Video footage shared with @FT shows the assassination of Lt. Gen. Igor Kirillov and his assistant in Moscow this morning. Story here with @maxseddon https://t.co/UJ69DcJ3lr pic.twitter.com/OdQyO9JEN4

— Christopher Miller (@ChristopherJM) December 17, 2024

The attack unfolded as Kirillov left his apartment to head to his office. Russian media reported that the bomb was triggered remotely, and images from the scene showed shattered windows and scorched brickwork on the facade of the building. Security footage reportedly shows two men exiting the building just moments before the explosion erupts, engulfing the scene in a cloud of smoke and debris.

The Kremlin was swift to respond, framing the attack as an act of terrorism by Ukraine. Russia’s top state investigative agency has opened a formal terrorism probe into Kirillov’s death, while senior officials in Moscow issued strong warnings of retaliation.

Dmitry Medvedev, deputy chairman of Russia’s Security Council, accused Ukraine of orchestrating the bombing to shift attention away from its “military failures,” adding that Kyiv’s “senior military-political leadership will face inevitable retribution.”

Accusations of chemical weapons

Kirillov was a key figure in the ongoing conflict, frequently appearing at Russian military briefings to accuse Ukraine of using toxic agents and plotting radioactive attacks, claims that Kyiv and its Western allies dismissed as unfounded propaganda.

In recent months, Ukraine’s SBU has been vocal in its assertions that Russia is employing chemical weapons on the battlefield. According to the SBU, over 4,800 incidents of chemical weapon usage by Russian forces have been documented since the war began in February 2022. The U.S. State Department, in a statement earlier this year, cited Russia’s use of chloropicrin, a World War I-era poison gas, against Ukrainian troops.

Russia has categorically denied all allegations of chemical weapon usage. Instead, it has accused Ukraine of deploying toxic substances in combat, a charge Kyiv strongly rejects. Kirillov played a central role in pushing these claims, which many analysts view as part of Moscow’s broader disinformation campaign.

High-profile killings in Russia

Kirillov’s assassination marks yet another high-profile figure to be killed in what is widely seen as Ukraine’s covert campaign of targeted attacks against Russian military and political figures. While Kyiv rarely claims responsibility for such actions publicly, Ukrainian intelligence agencies have often signaled their involvement.

The pattern began in August 2022, when Darya Dugina, the daughter of Kremlin-linked nationalist ideologue Alexander Dugin, died in a car bombing outside Moscow. Russian investigators suspected that her father, a prominent supporter of Russia’s war in Ukraine, was the intended target.

In April 2023, Vladlen Tatarsky, a well-known pro-war military blogger, was killed in St. Petersburg when a statuette handed to him at an event exploded. A Russian woman confessed to presenting the explosive on orders from a contact linked to Ukraine, and she was later sentenced to 27 years in prison.

December 2023 saw the assassination of Illia Kyva, a former pro-Moscow Ukrainian lawmaker who had fled to Russia. Kyva was shot near Moscow, an attack celebrated by Ukrainian military intelligence, which warned that other “traitors of Ukraine” would meet similar fates.

More recently, in the Donetsk region, Sergei Yevsyukov, the former head of Olenivka Prison, where dozens of Ukrainian prisoners of war were killed in 2022, died in a car bombing. Russian authorities arrested a suspect but blamed Ukraine for orchestrating the attack.

These incidents suggest an ongoing shadow war, in which Ukraine appears to be targeting individuals it deems responsible for atrocities or actively aiding Russia’s war effort. Kirillov’s death underscores the increasing boldness of such operations, reaching the heart of Moscow itself.

Symbolic implications

The killing of Kirillov carries both strategic and symbolic weight. As the head of Russia’s nuclear, biological, and chemical protection forces since 2017, Kirillov occupied a critical position in Moscow’s military hierarchy. His death will likely disrupt operations and send ripples through the Kremlin’s security establishment.

At the same time, the attack demonstrates Ukraine’s ability to strike deep within Russian territory, despite ongoing military setbacks on the battlefield. Over the past year, Russia has gained significant ground in eastern Ukraine, particularly in the Donetsk region, where its forces have steadily advanced. Kyiv, meanwhile, has struggled to reclaim occupied territories and has instead relied on bold, asymmetric tactics to project strength.

However, Tuesday’s bombing also raises the stakes in the conflict, as Russia has promised “retribution” for Kirillov’s killing. With the Kremlin labeling the attack an act of terrorism, there are fears that Moscow could escalate its campaign against Ukraine, both on the battlefield and beyond.