Russian Forces' Radiological Defenсe Troops Head Killed in Blast
12:32 17.12.2024 (Updated: 13:03 17.12.2024)
© Photo : Russian Federation Council
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MOSCOW (Sputnik) - Lt. Gen. Igor Kirillov, the head of the Troops of Radiological, Chemical and Biological Defence of the Russian armed forces, died in an explosion in Moscow, the Russian Investigative Committee said on Tuesday.
Earlier in the day, the Investigative Committee said it had opened a criminal case in connection with an incident on Ryazanskiy Prospekt in Moscow, which resulted in the deaths of two men.
"According to the investigation, on the morning of December 17, an explosive device, planted in a scooter parked next to the entrance of a residential building, was detonated on Ryazanskiy Prospekt in Moscow. As a result of the incident, the head of the radiation, chemical and biological defense troops of the armed forces of Russia, Igor Kirillov, and his assistant were killed," the committee wrote on Telegram.
Investigators and forensic experts were working at the site of the explosion in southeastern Moscow, the committee added.
Lt. Gen. Igor Kirillov had exposed the crimes of the West and NATO provocations for many years, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said on Tuesday, commenting on his death.
"Igor Kirillov had been systematically exposing the crimes of the Anglo-Saxons for many years, with facts in hand: NATO provocations with chemical weapons in Syria, the UK's manipulations with prohibited chemicals and provocations in Salisbury and Amesbury, the deadly activities of US biolabs in Ukraine and much more. He worked fearlessly. He did not hide behind people's backs," Zakharova wrote on Telegram.
The power of the explosive device amounted to about 200 grams (0.4 pounds) in TNT equivalent, an emergency services spokesperson told Sputnik.
"According to preliminary information, about 200 grams of TNT were used in the explosion on Ryazanskiy Prospekt," the spokesperson said.
Kirillov, 54, led Russia’s efforts to expose alleged US biological activities, citing documents found in Ukrainian laboratories.
Key findings include:
In March 2022, he presented documents claiming Pentagon-funded biolabs in Ukraine were developing biological weapons using bats and birds.
He said these documents showed on Ukraine's population, testing pharmaceuticals, and exporting biological samples to the US for offensive purposes.
In January 2024, he accused senior US officials, including Gina Haspel, Alex Azar, and Anthony Fauci, of obstructing COVID-19 origin investigations.
In September 2023, he labeled the US biolab network a biological threat, citing an illegal lab in California that housed pathogens such as COVID-19, HIV, and hepatitis.
He repeatedly accused the US and Ukraine of violating the Biological and Toxin Weapons Convention (BTWC).
Kirillov claimed Ukraine covertly used DM-105 chemical munitions disguised as smoke shells in Sudzha, Russia’s Kursk region, in August.
He revealed that Russian forces thwarted Ukraine’s “Short Circuit” operation to seize the Zaporozhye Nuclear Power Plant in October 2024.
He warned that Kiev could stage a “dirty bomb” incident, training personnel to produce and detonate such devices in populated areas.
Kirillov was on Ukraine’s sanctions list for his role in the special military operation.
The blast wave shattered the windows in the house opposite to where the bomb went off. The courtyard was cordoned off while investigators were on site on Tuesday morning, a Sputnik correspondent reported. A resident of the house, near which the blast occurred, told Sputnik she heard a loud bang at 6:12 a.m. (03:12 GMT).
