Ukrainian Intelligence Operations Against Russian Officials Intensify

The operation demonstrated a notable level of sophistication. According to Ukrainian sources speaking to the BBC, explosives were concealed within an electric scooter and activated remotely. The target, Lt Gen Igor Kirillov, is considered the most senior military officer to be killed outside the combat area since the full-scale invasion commenced. His killing has caused considerable shock within Russia’s military and political circles. Sources within Ukraine’s SBU security service indicated their involvement. While Ukraine has conducted many operations against Russian forces within Ukrainian territory, the ability of Ukrainian intelligence to target the head of Russia’s military’s radiation, biological, and chemical protection forces outside his residence in south-eastern Moscow prompts inquiries into Russian security protocols and the potential reach of Ukraine’s operational capabilities. The selection of a scooter for the assault was a strategic decision. Scooters are commonly found discarded on Moscow’s streets and typically draw minimal notice. However, the precise timing of the device’s detonation, specifically as Gen Kirillov was exiting his apartment building with his aide, suggests the perpetrators employed some form of visual oversight, whether through camera monitoring or direct observation. It is believed that this killing was not the SBU’s inaugural operation of its kind in Russia’s major cities, implying that previous attacks against political and military figures in Russia may offer insight into the execution of such operations. In April 2023, the notable war blogger Vladlen Tatarsky was engaging with supporters at a St Petersburg cafe during a “creative evening.” At the event held at Street Food Bar No 1, Darya Trepova, identifying herself as an art student, gave him a sculpture depicting a soldier’s head. Moments later, as Tatarsky returned the gift to its box, it detonated, resulting in his death and injuries to numerous other individuals present. During her subsequent trial, Ms Trepova asserted her unawareness of the explosives contained within the bust. She acknowledged her opposition to the conflict in Ukraine, stating that she had been informed the bust contained a microphone. The court imposed a 27-year prison sentence upon her. Regardless of her prior knowledge, it is widely believed that Ukrainian security services employ deceptive tactics to recruit local Russians who might hold sympathies for Ukraine’s objectives. Such actions can encompass orchestrating sabotage or, as in this instance, preparing an explosive device. The SBU has demonstrated a willingness to deploy assassins to achieve its aims, a method often associated with espionage-related killings. Approximately one year prior, Ilya Kyva, a pro-Russian former Ukrainian MP, was fatally shot in a village near Moscow. The assailant reportedly gained undetected access to a hotel’s premises and shot Mr. Kyva twice as he walked in a park. While Ukraine issued no formal declarations, SBU sources claimed responsibility. Just five days earlier, Mikhail Shatsky, a prominent Russian missile scientist, was fatally shot in a forest near Moscow. This particular killing was attributed to Ukraine’s military intelligence service, despite a lack of official confirmation. Shatsky held responsibility for upgrading Russia’s Kh-59 and Kh-69 cruise missiles, which have inflicted extensive damage and casualties in Ukraine. The proximity of Kirillov’s killing to Shatsky’s murder, occurring within days, suggests the significant extent of Ukrainian intelligence penetration into Russia. The targets of these attacks have not been limited to politicians or individuals associated with the military. In August 2022, Darya Dugina was killed in a car bomb incident, seemingly intended as a message to her father, Aleksander Dugin, who is considered a Russian ideologist providing justification for Moscow’s actions in Ukraine. The Russian investigation indicated the involvement of two Ukrainian citizens in the attack, presenting what appears to be an instance of Ukraine deploying operatives deep within Russia to “eliminate” their objective. Natalia Vovk, 43, had entered Russia from occupied Donetsk in eastern Ukraine. She subsequently collaborated with another Ukrainian who leased a garage for the bomb’s assembly. Both Ukrainians, as asserted during the trial, reportedly fled Russia a day prior to Dugina’s death. These collective attacks highlight the diverse array of tactics accessible to Ukrainian special services, though some experts suggest that Kyiv may not have been responsible for Lt Gen Kirillov’s assassination. Yuriy Karin, a Kyiv-based military observer, posits that it could stem from an internal power struggle within the Russian military or an effort by the Kremlin to eliminate a key witness to war crimes. If the SBU was indeed responsible, he states, the message is unequivocal: “Even within Moscow’s ring road, Russian generals cannot feel safe.”