INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
The head of the Russian army's chemical weapons division was killed Tuesday in an apparent targeted assassination outside an apartment
building in Moscow.Igor Kirillov and his assistant were killed when an explosive device attached to a scooter went off as the two men left a
building in a residential area in southeastern Moscow early in the morning, investigators said.Sources from Ukraine's security services have
claimed responsibility for the targeted killing.Kirillov is the most senior Russian military official to be killed in such a blast in Moscow
since the Kremlin's full-scale invasion of Ukraine nearly three years ago.Here is everything we know about Kirillov and the circumstances
biological defense forces since 2017.The unit does not oversee Russia's nuclear weapons.The U.K
Ukraine.Moscow has denied deploying chemical weapons in Ukraine.Kirillov is known for his claims about alleged Western bio-laboratories and
biological weapons to Ukraine and that this would include targeting Russian troops with malaria-infected mosquitos.He has also repeatedly
accused Kyiv of using chemical weapons
and his assistant were killed after "an explosive device planted in a scooter parked near the entrance of a residential building was
shattered several windows of the building and severely damaged the front door, according to an AFP reporter on the scene.The state-run RIA
Novosti news agency reported, citing a source, that the explosive device had an estimated power equivalent to 200 grams of TNT.What is known
about his attackers?Russia's Investigative Committee opened a criminal case regarding the killing of two servicemen but did not name any
AFP that the explosion targeting Kirillov was the result of an SBU special operation.According to the sources, an explosive-laden scooter
was detonated as Kirillov and his aide exited a residential building on Ryazansky Prospekt in Moscow."Kirillov was a war criminal and a
completely legitimate target, as he issued orders to use banned chemical weapons against Ukrainian forces," the source told BBC.The Baza
Telegram channel reported that the scooter loaded with explosives was placed near the entrance of the residential complex around 4 a.m
It added that surveillance of everyone exiting the building could have been conducted from a rented apartment across the street, a nearby
on Kirillov's death.But an SBU source told AFP: "Kirillov was a war criminal and an absolutely legitimate target, as he gave orders to use
banned chemical weapons against the Ukrainian military.""Such an inglorious end awaits all those who kill Ukrainians
Retribution for war crimes is inevitable," the source said.A spokesman for British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said London was "not going to
mourn" Kirillov's death, saying he had "imposed suffering and death on the Ukrainian people."The U.S
said it was not involved in the killing of Kirillov but denounced his "atrocities.""I can tell you that the United States was not aware of
it in advance and was not involved," State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said."He was a general who was involved in a number of
He was involved in the use of chemical weapons against [the] Ukrainian military," Miller said.Has Russia used chemical weapons in
Ukraine?Britain and the U.S
have accused Russia of using the toxic agent chloropicrin against Ukrainian troops in violation of the Chemical Weapons Convention
(CWC).Chloropicrin is an oily liquid with a pungent odor known as a choking agent widely used during World War I as tear gas
The Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) specifically prohibits its use.Russia has said it no longer possesses a
military chemical arsenal but the country faces pressure for more transparency over the alleged use of toxic weapons.In June, Ukraine
accused Russia of increasing frontline attacks using prohibited hazardous chemicals and had registered more than 700 cases of their use the
invaded in February 2022.AFP contributed reporting.
