Russia arrests 29-year-old suspect following death of Russian general in Moscow e-scooter attack
18 December 2024, 08:29
Authorities have detained a suspect in connection with the death of a high-ranking Russian general killed in a Moscow explosion, the Kremlin has claimed.
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Lieutenant General Igor Kirillov of the Nuclear, Biological, Chemical Defence Forces (NBC) left his home on Tuesday when a device believed to have been hidden in an e-scooter exploded, killing him instantly.
The Russian general's aide, Ilya Polikarpov, was also killed in the explosion, with 54-year-old Kirillov the most senior Russian officer to be assassinated during the Ukraine conflict.
Russia’s Investigative Committee now claim a 29-year-old Uzebekistani suspect has been arrested over the killing.
It reported that the individual had been “recruited by Ukrainian special forces” and paid $100,000 for the assassination.
In the hours following the explosion, Ukraine took full responsibility for the killing - one day after President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's government charged Kirillov with chemical weapon use.
On Wednesday, Ukraine’s security service, the SBU, claimed Russia had used chemical weapons more than 4,800 times under Kirillov's leadership.
It follows the UK placing sanctions on Kirillov in October, labelling him a "significant mouthpiece for Kremlin disinformation".
According to state media, the bomb was hidden in a nearby e-scooter. Kirillov's assistant was also killed in the attack.
His death comes just one day after Ukraine's secret service charged him in absentia, branding him "responsible for the mass use of banned chemical weapons".
“Igor Kirillov, the head of the radiation, chemical and biological protection forces of the armed forces of the Russian Federation, and his assistant were killed,” the investigative committee said.
"Investigators, forensic experts and operational services are working at the scene," it said.
"Investigative actions and operational search activities are being carried out aimed at establishing all the circumstances of the crime."
Images posted on Russian Telegram channels show two bodies lying on blood-stained snow at the entrance to a residential building.
The hidden bomb, which contained an equivalent to 300g of high explosives, destroyed a number of nearby cars and damaged the first floor of the apartment block.
Russia’s RKhBZ, the radioactive, chemical and biological defence force, are deployed when there is a threat of nuclear, chemical or biological warfare or contamination
A former chair of the Defence Select Committee said "we can only assume" the general was killed by Ukraine.
Tobias Ellwood told Sky News: "Both sides know there's just one month left until Donald Trump returns to the White House and that is affecting behaviour on the battlefield.
"In a month's time talks are bound to start about a potential ceasefire and about a potential deal so every oppourtunity is being taken to gain territory, to seek advantage, to prosecute existing plans to cause harm and that is what I think is playing out here.
"The killing of Igor Kirillov we can only assume was done by Ukraine, and is a major event.
"The removal of a senior military officer not on the battlefield, but in Moscow, just miles from the Kremlin, this will be an embarrassment for Putin.
"He cannot hide this from the Russian people who are generally not supportive of this war and I would expect a major retaliation on the Russian side."
