Top Russian general killed in Moscow blast, investigators confirm e-scooter explosion | N18G

On December 17, a bomb hidden in an electric scooter killed Lieutenant General Igor Kirillov, head of Russia’s nuclear, biological and chemical protection troops (RKhBZ), and his assistant in Moscow. The explosion occurred outside a building on Ryazansky Prospekt, about 7 km southeast of the Kremlin. Photographs from the scene showed a broken building entrance and bodies in the snow. A criminal investigation has been opened. Kirillov’s unit, RKhBZ, is tasked with operating in dangerous conditions involving radioactive, chemical and biological threats. The attack comes after Ukrainian prosecutors accused Kirillov in absentia of using chemical weapons banned in Ukraine, accusations Russia denies. Additionally, Britain sanctioned Kirillov and his unit in October for allegedly using toxic agents like chloropicrin on battlefields. Local residents reported hearing a loud bang and there was no security in the residential block where the attack took place. Russian authorities are investigating the attack.