By Abiola Olawale
The ongoing crisis between Russia and Ukraine has continued to escalate as the head of Russia’s Nuclear, Biological, and Chemical Defense Forces, Lt. General Igor Kirillov, was killed along with his deputy early Tuesday in an explosion in Moscow.
According to reports, the incident happened when a scooter with explosives was detonated as Kirillov and his assistant were entering an apartment building.
The bomb was said to have been triggered remotely and had the power equivalent to roughly 300 grams of TNT.
A statement issued by the Russian National Investigative Committee said the investigation is ongoing to ascertain the nature of the attack.
The statement reads in part: “Investigators, forensic experts and operational services are working at the scene. Investigative and search activities are being carried out to establish all the circumstances around this crime.”
It would be recalled that Kirillov and the unit he headed have been sanctioned by several countries, including the United Kingdom, Canada and the United States, for the alleged use of chemical weapons in Ukraine.
Ukraine’s government has also alleged that it recorded more than 4,800 occasions when Russia used chemical weapons on the battlefield since President Vladimir Putin launched his full-scale invasion in February 2022.
