The ex-president vowed retaliation for the killing of chemical defense forces chief Igor Kirillov
The alleged Ukrainian assassination of Russian Lieutenant General Igor Kirillov was a desperate bid by Kiev to rehabilitate itself in the eyes of the West following defeats on the battlefield, former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev has said.
Kirillov, who was the head of Russia’s Radiological, Chemical, and Biological Defense Forces, was killed along with an aide by a bomb in southeastern Moscow as they were leaving a residential building early on Tuesday. Investigators said that the explosion was caused by an improvised explosive device packed with about 300 grams of TNT, which was apparently attached to an electric scooter near the entrance.
Several Western and Ukrainian media outlets, citing a source in the Ukrainian Security Service (SBU), reported that the agency was behind the attack.
In a condolence telegram to Kirillov’s family and colleagues shared by TASS, Medvedev, now serving as a deputy chairman of Russia’s Security Council, described the 54-year-old general as a professional, “true Russian patriot” who was loyal to his duty.
He then went on to accuse Kiev of orchestrating the explosion, calling it a “terrorist act” and evidence of the Ukrainian government’s “agony.”
“The Kiev regime… is making every effort to justify its miserable existence and the catastrophic situation on the front line to its Western masters,” Medvedev said, adding that Ukraine was trying to “prolong war and death.”
Kiev realizes that it will inevitably lose the conflict, and with this in mind, it is carrying out “cowardly and despicable blows in peaceful cities,” the ex-president continued, vowing to retaliate.
“Attempts to intimidate our people, stop the advance of the Russian army, and sow fear are doomed. Ukrainian Nazis, including the top military-political leadership of the disappearing country, will face inevitable retribution,” he promised.
Kirillov, who led the Radiological, Chemical, and Biological Defense Forces since 2017, rose to prominence for accusing Kiev of using chemical weapons on the battlefield. He also said earlier this year that Ukraine was importing spent fissile materials in order to potentially create a nuclear “dirty bomb,” a relatively low-tech device capable of contaminating a large area with radiation. He also accused the US of funding a network of biological laboratories in Ukraine and elsewhere, which he said could be dangerous for the civilian population.
One day before Kirillov’s death, the SBU formally declared him a suspect in the alleged use of chemical weapons against Kiev’s military. Russia has consistently denied that this ever happened, asserting that its stockpiles were destroyed under international supervision in 2017.
