This morning, at 6:10, a roar shattered the tranquility of Rjazansky Prospekt, one of the main avenues in Moscow. A homemade explosive device is detonated with surgical precision near the entrance of a residential building. The victims are Lieutenant General Igor Kirillov, head of the Radiological, Chemical and Biological Protection Forces (RHBZ) of the Russian Armed Forces, and his assistant. The two men had no escape, caught by surprise as they left the building, heading towards the company car.
The explosion was devastating: glass shattered up to the third floor, the front door gutted, damage visible even to vehicles parked at a distance. Eyewitnesses tell of a shock wave so powerful that it shook the windows of opposite buildings. One resident, still shaken, said: “I thought there was an earthquake, not an explosion.”
The police and forensic experts have cordoned off the area, starting investigations immediately. The scene was examined in detail: components of the device were recovered, while the bomb squad confirmed that the power was approximately 200-300 grams of TNT, activated remotely, perhaps via radio signal. Surveillance cameras in the surrounding buildings could reveal the identity of the perpetrators.
Igor Kirillov, 54, was a key man in the Russian military establishment. At the head of the RHBZ forces since 2017, he had dedicated his career to revealing and denouncing, with evidence in hand – according to Russian sources – what he defined as the crimes of the West. Kirillov had covered the controversial US biolabs in Ukraine, alleged NATO chemical provocations in Syria and the Salisbury and Amesbury cases in Britain. An internationally controversial figure, he had been sanctioned by the United Kingdom for alleged uses of banned chemical weapons and accused of being one of those responsible for Russian disinformation.
Only the day before his death, the SBU (Ukrainian State Security) had formalized an accusation against Kirillov. According to the SBU, under his command, Russian forces allegedly used banned chemical munitions, such as “K-1” grenades with CS and CN irritants, against Ukrainian troops. The use of these substances is prohibited by the 1993 Chemical Weapons Convention.
Kirillov’s death is not just a news story, but an event with a strong symbolic weight. In a context of growing tensions between Moscow and Kiev, the explosion is seen by many as Ukrainian revenge. Andrei Kartapolov, chairman of the Duma defense committee, immediately attributed the attack to Kiev’s forces: “It is a desperate response to defeat on the battlefield.”
On the other hand, this version leaves room for more complex shadows. Russian intelligence does not exclude the possibility of internal sabotage, or even a feud within the military apparatus. Kirillov, in fact, was not only a high-ranking officer, but also a man with uncomfortable secrets, often at the center of revelations that raised more questions than answers.
According to preliminary data, the device would have been placed on an electric scooter parked next to the entrance overnight. A move that demonstrates detailed knowledge of Kirillov’s habits and impeccable logistical organization. Some sources claim that the attack was carried out by an accomplice hiding nearby, ready to activate the device remotely.
The authorities have opened a criminal case, while the Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation coordinates the investigation. Boris Grigoriev, prosecutor of the South-Eastern District of Moscow, said: “We will shed light on every detail of this crime.”
Maria Zacharova, spokeswoman for the Russian Foreign Ministry, greeted Kirillov as a hero: “A brave man, who never hid. He fought for the truth and for the country”. But this death, in addition to the emotional impact, opens up new questions about the future of the Russian military leadership. Kirillov was a key figure, both in his strategic role and in managing the international narrative.
Meanwhile, Russian public opinion is divided between those who point the finger at Ukraine and those who hypothesize more complex scenarios: an internal settling of scores, a coded message for the military leaders or a further act of the shadow war being fought far from the battlefields.
The death of Igor Kirillov is more than a targeted killing. It represents a disturbing sign of how the conflict between Russia and Ukraine is taking on increasingly asymmetric and unpredictable dimensions. An inconvenient general, accused of war crimes, was eliminated with a precision that shocks the whole world.
Domestic sabotage, Ukraine or another hidden actor in the intricate web of international geopolitics? The answers will come – perhaps – from the investigations, but Kirillov’s death has already become a turning point in the narrative of the war.
The silence that fell on Ryazansky Prospekt, broken only by the sirens of the emergency forces, tells a story that does not stop at the news: it is the beginning of a new, dangerous phase of this war without borders.
