Lt Gen Igor Kirillov, head of Russia's Nuclear, Biological, and Chemical Defence Forces, was killed in a targeted bombing outside his residence in southeastern Moscow on Tuesday. The attack, which also claimed the life of his assistant, has been linked to Ukrainian intelligence by Russian authorities.

The Federal Security Service (FSB) announced the detention of a 29-year-old Uzbek man suspected of orchestrating the assassination. According to the FSB, the suspect was recruited by Ukrainian special services and promised a $100,000 reward and relocation to the European Union.

Using a homemade explosive device concealed on an electric scooter, the suspect detonated the bomb remotely as Kirillov exited his apartment building early Tuesday. The explosion caused extensive damage, leaving scorch marks and shattered windows at the scene.

Ukraine’s security service, the SBU, reportedly claimed responsibility for the killing, describing Kirillov, 54, as a "legitimate target" due to alleged war crimes and the use of chemical weapons under his command. Just a day before the assassination, Ukrainian prosecutors charged him in absentia for the mass use of banned chemical weapons.

Kirillov, previously sanctioned by the UK, was accused of overseeing over 4,800 chemical weapon attacks in Ukraine—a charge Moscow vehemently denies. Russian authorities maintain that the country destroyed its chemical weapons stockpile in 2017.

The assassination, the most high-profile killing of a military figure on Russian soil since the invasion of Ukraine in 2022, has shaken Moscow residents. One eyewitness described heightened anxiety following the attack. "Until now, [the war] felt distant... but now someone is dead here. It's frightening," a local resident said.

Russian officials have vowed to retaliate. Former President Dmitry Medvedev called for the destruction of those responsible in Kyiv, while state TV hosts blamed Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky for the attack.

The Russian Foreign Ministry announced plans to raise the matter at the United Nations Security Council this Friday, signaling escalating tensions.

This assassination comes amid a growing perception that the war, once viewed as remote by many Russians, is now striking closer to home. Observers predict the Kremlin is unlikely to alter its course in Ukraine, with indications that the conflict may intensify further.