A high-ranking Russian military official accused of facilitating chemical warfare in Ukraine has been killed in an explosion in Moscow, along with his assistant. Lieutenant General Igor Kirillov, head of Russias Nuclear, Biological, and Chemical Defence Forces (NBC), was killed early Tuesday morning when an explosive device detonated remotely.

The incident marks the second high-profile death in Russias defense circles within a week, as tensions between Russia and Ukraine escalate. According to Russias Investigative Committee spokespersonSvetlana Petrenko, the device had been concealed in an electric scooter parked outside a residential building on Ryazansky Avenue in southeastern Moscow.

On the morning of December 17, an explosive device planted in a scooter went off near a residential building entrance on Ryazansky Avenue in Moscow. Chief of Russias Radiation, Chemical and Biological Protection Troops Lieutenant General Igor Kirillov and his aide were killed in the explosion, Petrenko said.

The Committee has since launched a criminal probe into the attack, though circumstances surrounding the explosion remain under investigation.

Ukraine’s Response and Allegations

While the Ukrainian government has yet to release an official statement, an anonymous source within Ukraines SBU security service told theBBCthat Kirillov was a legitimate target due to his alleged involvement in war crimes. The SBU had accused Kirillov of being responsible for the mass use of banned chemical weapons and charged him in absentia just a day before the attack.

Earlier this year, Ukraines SBU claimed that under Kirillovs leadership, Russia had used chemical weapons more than 4,800 times on the battlefield. The United States echoed similar allegations in May, accusing Russia of violating international law by deploying the chemical agent chloropicrin as a method of warfare in Ukraine. Russia vehemently denied the accusations, calling them baseless.

Kirillov had also been sanctioned by the UK, with an assets freeze and travel ban imposed due to his role in the ongoing conflict.

A String of High-Profile Deaths

Kirillovs death comes amid a series of targeted attacks on Russian defense personnel. Less than a week earlier, Mikhail Shatsky, a prominent Russian weapons expert, was found dead in Moscows Kuzminki forest park. Shatsky, who served as deputy chief of design and head of software at the Moscow Experimental Design Bureau Mars, was reportedly shot dead in an operation allegedly carried out by Ukraines military intelligence agency, HUR.

Mars, where Shatsky worked, specializes in developing automated control and navigation systems for satellites and unmanned aerial vehicles and is a subsidiary of Russias state nuclear corporation Rosatom. Ukrainian outlets, including RBC and Ukrainska Pravda, cited anonymous sources claiming Shatskys death was part of a coordinated special operation by Ukrainian intelligence forces.

Implications for the Conflict

The deaths of Kirillov and Shatsky are significant blows to Russias military infrastructure and may signal an intensified Ukrainian intelligence campaign targeting high-ranking officials and key defense figures. These events further highlight the growing shadow war between Ukrainian operatives and Russian forces, extending beyond the conventional battlefield.

While Russia has yet to assign formal blame for Kirillovs assassination, the Kremlins response is likely to further escalate hostilities in the protracted conflict. For Ukraine, these operations represent efforts to disrupt Russias military capabilities and seek retribution for alleged war crimes committed during the war.