An Uzbek citizen, Akhmadzhon Kurbonov, has been charged by Russian authorities with killing a senior Russian general and his assistant in a bombing claimed by Ukraine’s security services. The attack, which occurred on Tuesday, targeted Lt. Gen. Igor Kirillov, the chief of Russia’s Radiation, Biological and Chemical Protection Forces.
Kirillov, 54, was killed when a bomb hidden on an electric scooter outside his apartment building in Moscow detonated. His assistant, Ilya Polikarpov, also died in the attack. Kurbonov, who is accused of carrying out a terrorist act and manufacturing explosives, was previously referred to as Akhmad Kurbanov.
According to Russian security services, Kurbonov was recruited by Ukraine’s security service, which allegedly promised him $100,000 and resettlement in a European Union country in exchange for killing Kirillov. The suspect picked up a homemade bomb in Moscow, placed it on an e-scooter, and set up a camera to livestream the scene to his handlers.
The attack is linked to Ukraine’s security service, which has accused Kirillov of directing the use of banned chemical weapons in Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Russia denies using chemical weapons but has accused Kyiv of doing so. The incident has further strained relations between Russia and Ukraine.
Kurbonov is currently being held until at least February 17 by a Moscow court.
Source: https://apnews.com/article/kirillov-scooter-general-killed-russia-3de42ecf89bf10b2bc3bcd92d834e152