Russian Chemical Weapons Chief Igor Kirillov Dies in Moscow Blast

Igor Kirillov, who led Russia’s Radiation, Chemical and Biological Protection troops, has died following an explosion in Moscow. Western nations had accused Kirillov of overseeing the deployment of chemical weapons during the conflict in Ukraine. Conversely, within Russia, he was regarded as a dedicated patriot who sought to uncover the truth and expose Western “crimes.” Ukraine’s SBU security service claimed responsibility for the explosion, characterizing it as a special operation targeting a “war criminal” and a legitimate objective. Russian authorities reported that Kirillov and an assistant were killed by explosives placed in an electric scooter, which detonated as he departed his residence on Ryazansky Prospekt in south-eastern Moscow. Kirillov had gained notoriety for presenting unusual briefings at the Russian defence ministry, leading the UK Foreign Office to describe him as a “significant mouthpiece for Kremlin disinformation.” His influence extended beyond that of a mere spokesperson; he previously headed Russia’s Timoshenko Radiation, Chemical and Biological Protection Academy before assuming leadership of the Russian army’s Radiation, Chemical and Biological Protection Troops in 2017. According to the Russian defence ministry, the primary responsibilities of this force include identifying hazards, safeguarding units from contamination, and also “causing loss to the enemy by using flame-incendiary means.” This latter function is believed to pertain to Russia’s flame-thrower system, capable of destroying targets with thermobaric warheads. The UK Foreign Office asserted that the military unit under Kirillov’s command had utilized “barbaric chemical weapons in Ukraine,” specifically citing what it referred to as the widespread application of riot control agents and “multiple reports of the use of the toxic choking agent chloropicrin.” Prior to his death, Ukraine’s SBU announced that Kirillov had been indicted in absentia in a criminal case concerning the “mass use” of prohibited chemical weapons on Ukraine’s eastern and southern fronts. The SBU referenced “more than 4,800 cases of the enemy using chemical munitions” on Ukrainian territory since the full-scale Russian invasion commenced in February 2022. It further stated that toxic substances had been employed in drone attacks and combat grenades. Kirillov’s reputation for making unsubstantiated claims against both Ukraine and the West began at the outset of the war. Among his most extreme assertions was the claim that the US was constructing biological weapons laboratories in Ukraine, a narrative reportedly used to justify the full-scale invasion of its smaller neighbor in 2022. In March 2022, he presented documents that he alleged had been confiscated by Russia on the day of the invasion, February 24. These documents were widely disseminated by pro-Kremlin media but were dismissed by independent experts. Kirillov’s prominent accusations against Ukraine persisted into the current year. Last month, he alleged that “one of the priority aims” of Ukraine’s counter-offensive into Russia’s Kursk border region was to seize the Kursk nuclear power plant. He displayed a slideshow, purportedly based on a Ukrainian report, claiming that in the event of an incident, only Russian territory would be affected by radioactive contamination. A recurring theme in Kirillov’s statements was that Ukraine was attempting to develop a “dirty bomb.” Two years ago, he claimed that “two organisations in Ukraine have specific instructions to create a so-called ‘dirty bomb’. This work is in its final stage.” Western nations rejected these claims as “transparently false.” However, Kirillov’s assertions prompted Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to issue a warning: if Russia suggested Kyiv was preparing such a weapon, it implied that Russia itself was already preparing it. Last summer, Kirillov reiterated his “dirty bomb” allegations, this time asserting the discovery of a chemical weapons laboratory near Avdiivka, a city in eastern Ukraine captured by Russian forces last February. He claimed that Kyiv, with assistance from Western countries, was violating the international Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC) through the use of various substances, including the psychochemical warfare agent BZ, hydrocyanic acid, and cyanogen chloride. Russia is a signatory to the CWC and was deemed to have eliminated all its Cold War-era chemical weapons by 2017. The subsequent year, Russian operatives conducted a fatal attack in the British city of Salisbury using the nerve agent Novichok. More recently, the US has accused Russia of deploying the choking agent chloropicrin on the battlefield in Ukraine. Kirillov’s violent demise has caused considerable shock within Russia’s military and political establishment. A minute of silence was observed in the Duma, Russia’s parliament. Konstantin Kosachev, deputy speaker of Russia’s upper house of parliament, described his death as an “irreparable loss,” while retired general and MP Andrei Gurulyov stated that Kirillov’s killing would not go unpunished. Gurulyov further commented that Kirillov was responsible for acquiring weapons intended solely for the battlefield and possessed a clear understanding of the “criminal activities of the US and its satellites.” Pro-Kremlin supporters view his death not only as a setback but also as proof of Ukraine’s capability to target prominent officials in Moscow. Some observers even implicated the British or Americans. According to Russian war correspondent Sasha Kots, this incident demonstrates that enemy agents are operating and conducting surveillance “in our rear.”