Russian Nuclear Bomb General Killed in Bombing Terror... How Did He Become Ukraine's Target?

Russian Defense Ministry's Nuclear and Biochemical Warfare Expert
"Ukraine Dropped Biological Weapons on Russia" Claim

Last February, Igor Kirillov, commander of the Russian military's NBC defense, appeared at a Ministry of Defense briefing. Photo by AP and Yonhap News

Igor Kirillov, the commander of Russia's Nuclear, Biological, and Chemical (NBC) Defense Forces, died in a bomb attack in central Moscow. Ukrainian authorities are being mentioned as the perpetrators behind the bombing. Although Kirillov was not a general directly deployed on the Ukrainian front, he was considered a target of Ukrainian authorities because he was a figure who provided Russia with a pretext for attacking Ukraine. During his lifetime, he claimed that Ukraine, together with the United States, created biological weapons and spread them throughout Russia, asserting that the war in Ukraine was a defensive operation rather than an invasion.

Russian Nuclear and Chemical Warfare Expert... Dies in Bomb Attack in Moscow

The scene at the site where Igor Kirillov, commander of the Russian military's NBC (Nuclear, Biological, Chemical) Defense, and his aide were killed in a bomb attack on the 17th (local time). Photo by AP and Yonhap News.

Commander Kirillov died on the 17th (local time) along with his aide while staying in the Moscow city area due to a bomb attack. It is reported that they died instantly when an electric scooter placed at the scene exploded. Svetlana Petrenko, spokesperson for the investigative committee investigating the incident, stated, "An explosive device was attached to the electric scooter," adding, "The explosion damaged several nearby vehicles and shattered the windows of buildings from the 1st to the 4th floors."

The Ukrainian intelligence agency is known to be behind Kirillov's death. AFP quoted a source from Ukraine's Security Service (SBU) saying, "Kirillov was a war criminal, and his death was the result of a special operation by the SBU." Kirillov is the highest-ranking Russian military commander to have died from an assassination attempt by Ukraine so far.

Born in 1970, Kirillov joined the Soviet Army in 1987, just before the collapse of the Soviet Union. He graduated from a specialized NBC warfare military academy and was regarded as an expert in nuclear and biochemical weapons within the Russian military. After the Ukraine war began, he was not deployed to the front lines but instead worked in the rear, developing chemical weapons and formulating chemical warfare strategies.

Claims of "Ukrainian Biological Weapons Development"... Provided Russia’s War Justification

Russian troops deployed in the Zaporizhzhia region of eastern Ukraine are aiming their anti-aircraft guns. Photo by TASS and Yonhap News.

Although not a commander deployed on the front lines, the main reason Ukrainian authorities assassinated Kirillov is that he claimed Ukraine was developing biological weapons and contributed to creating a justification for Russia’s invasion. Ukrainian authorities reportedly viewed his claims as a potential justification for Russia’s war and had long planned the assassination.

According to Deutsche Welle (DW), a German public broadcaster, Kirillov claimed that after the 2022 Ukraine war began, the United States and the Ukrainian government built a massive biochemical research facility inside Ukraine, from which biological weapons were used to continuously attack Russia. He asserted, "The United States released mosquitoes infected with the yellow fever virus via drones at major Russian military deployment sites," and "The recent increase in avian influenza cases in Russia is due to infected birds being transported from Ukraine."

In August, he further claimed, "Ukraine is preparing a dirty bomb containing radioactive toxic substances and is planning terrorist attacks using dirty bombs within Russian territory." Experts believe that by establishing Russia’s war justification and leading propaganda efforts, he provoked Ukrainian intelligence agencies.

Hans Henning Schr?der, a German Russia expert, explained in an interview with DW, "Kirillov’s claims were propaganda used to justify the war both inside and outside Russia," adding, "The focus was on rallying the Russian people's will to fight." He also noted, "If Kirillov’s role had not been significant, Ukrainian intelligence would not have shown interest in a commander without any combat troops under his command."