Chief of Russia's nuclear protection forces killed in Moscow blast
An explosive device planted near an apartment building in Moscow killed the head of Russia’s nuclear and chemical forces early Tuesday, officials said.
Russia’s Investigative Committee said the bomb, which was triggered by the device placed in a scooter, killed Lt. General Igor Kirillov and his assistant, AP reportd.
Kirillov, who was named the head of Russia’s nuclear defense forces in April 2017, was under sanctions from several countries including the U.K. and Canada for his role in Ukraine.
The bomb was triggered remotely and had the power equivalent to roughly 300g of TNT, Russian state news agency Tass reported, citing unnamed sources in the emergency services.
State television footage from the scene showed shattered windows and scorched and blackened brickwork.
“Investigators, forensic experts and operational services are working at the scene,” the committee’s spokesperson, Svetlana Petrenko, said in a statement. Investigative and search activities are being carried out to establish all the circumstances around this crime.”
She also said Moscow is treating the bombing as a terrorist attack.