Ukraine’s secret service assassinated Igor Kirillov—the head of Russia’s chemical and biological weapons defense program—yesterday. It marks the highest-level killing of a Russian military official inside Russia since the start of the war in 2022; Russia has vowed to retaliate.
The 54-year-old general died after a bomb detonated at 6:12 am local time on an electric scooter in Moscow, shattering windows on residential buildings nearby (see video; warning—sensitive content). Ukraine acknowledged the killing, calling it legitimate. Kyiv had charged Kirillov in absentia the day before, tying him to over 4,800 alleged cases of chemical weapons deployment in Ukrainian territory. Kirillov was separately known for publicly accusing the US of a biological weapons program in Ukraine.
Russia lost over 1,520 soldiers per day last month, according to UK estimates, and is believed to be struggling to replenish its ranks. Russia is relying in part on North Korean troops to counter Ukrainian forces in Kursk. See latest war updates here (w/maps).
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