Moscow [Russia], December 18: Russia has confirmed that its chemical weapons chief was assassinated in Moscow and will raise the matter at a meeting of the United Nations Security Council.
General Igor Kirillov, commander of the Russian military's Radiological, Chemical and Biological Defense Forces (EChBZ) , was killed in an explosion in Moscow on the morning of December 17.
Investigators said an explosive device hidden under the motorcycle exploded near the entrance to an apartment building, killing Kirillov and an assistant. About 300 grams of TNT were attached to the bike and may have been detonated remotely, RT reported.
The incident came a day after Mr Kirillov was prosecuted in absentia by the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) for using chemical weapons in Ukraine.
The two-star general denied allegations that Russia used chemical weapons and cited the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) confirming that Russia had destroyed its entire arsenal in 2017.
The Kyiv Independent quoted sources as saying that the SBU was behind the assassination while the Ukrainian government has not commented. Russian authorities have opened a criminal investigation into the incident on charges of murder, terrorism, and illegal possession of weapons.
Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said that Mr. Kirillov had for many years made a great contribution to exposing Western crimes related to chemical weapons.
Deputy Chairman of the Russian Security Council Dmitry Medvedev said this was Ukraine's last act of resistance to prolong the conflict and justify the disastrous situation on the front line.
Several other Russian officials condemned the assassination and said those involved would be punished. The US Department of Defense and the US Department of State said they had no knowledge or involvement in the incident.
TASS quoted Dmitry Polyansky, First Deputy Representative of the Russian Permanent Mission to the United Nations, as saying that Moscow will raise the assassination of General Kirillov at the UN Security Council meeting on December 20.
Source: Thanh Nien Newspaper
