Iruni Kalupahana JadeTimes Staff
I. Kalupahana is a Jadetimes news reporter covering Russia-Ukraine war
Following the Tuesday morning explosion outside his building in Moscow, Russia, an arrest has been made related to the murder of Lieutenant General Igor Kirillov, chief of the Nuclear, Biological, and Chemical Protection Troops, along with his aide Ilya Polikarpov.
Russian investigative officials said the suspect was a 29 years old Uzbek national who confessed to being recruited by Ukrainian special forces. It said that the explosive device was set off remotely and shattered the windows and scorched the walls of the targeted building where the killing occurred.
The suspect was allegedly promised $100,000 and European Union residency in exchange for the assassination by Russia's Federal Security Service, the FSB.
On instructions from the Ukrainian city of Dnipro, he used a rented car to stake out Kirillov's residence and installed a livestream camera to alert the organizers before blowing up the car.
Ukraine's Security Service is said to have confirmed participation, but so far, no official statement has been issued.
At the same time, Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov accused Kyiv of "terrorist methods" in the conflict with Russia.
Kirillov, 54, was the most senior Russian military officer to be assassinated within Russia since the start of the war with Ukraine in February 2022.
Known for frequent briefings accusing Ukraine of planning chemical and radioactive attack claims dismissed as propaganda by Western allie his death has raised concerns over the security of Russia's top military officials.
This incident adds to a string of high profile killings blamed on Ukraine, including those of missile developers and long range commanders, signaling an escalation in covert operations amid the ongoing conflict.
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