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Russian court orders two-month detention for suspect in General Kirillov assassination

by Olena Goncharova December 20, 2024 1:59 AM 2 min read
A view of the scene after Lt. Gen. Igor Kirillov, chief of Russia's Radiation, Chemical and Biological Protection Defense Troops, and his assistant were killed in an explosion in Moscow, Russia on December 17, 2024 (Sefa Karacan/Anadolu via Getty Images)
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A Moscow court ruled on Dec. 19 to place the suspect in the killing of General Igor Kirillov in pre-trial detention for two months. The court announced the decision on its Telegram channel.

The suspect, originally from Uzbekistan, faces charges of committing a terrorist act resulting in death, according to a notice on the court's website.

On Dec. 18, Russian security forces detained two suspects over the assassination of a top Kremlin general and his assistant in Moscow. Kirillov was killed in Moscow on Dec. 17, with a bomb attached to a scooter. The Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) claimed responsibility for the attack.

Kirillov, 54, served as the head of the Russian Armed Forces' radiation, chemical, and biological defense unit.

One day before his assassination, Ukrainian prosecutors charged him in absentia for deploying prohibited chemical weapons during Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

A Kyiv Independent investigation published in August revealed that Russian forces have increasingly used gas attacks against Ukrainian troops. Kirillov’s involvement in these operations led to sanctions from both the U.K. and Canada.

Speaking to the Kyiv Independent on Dec. 17, a source from Ukraine’s SBU described Kirillov as a war criminal and a "completely legitimate target," as he gave orders to use banned chemical weapons against Ukrainian soldiers.

General Igor Kirillov, the Russian chemical weapons chief and propagandist assassinated by Ukraine
LATEST: Russia detains two suspects over assassination of General Igor Kirillov, Kremlin media reports Lieutenant General Igor Kirillov met his demise in Moscow on Dec. 17, reportedly killed by a bomb attached to a scooter planted by the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU). “Kirillov was a war crimi…

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