Ukraine’s Security Service (SBU) has taken credit for the killing of Lieutenant General Igor Kirillov, who led the military’s nuclear, biological, and chemical protection forces. This occurred during a bombing in Moscow on Tuesday. The explosion targeted a bomb placed on a scooter, leading to the deaths of Kirillov, 54, and his aide, Ilya Polikarpov.
An official affiliated with the SBU confirmed the operation, stating it was an act against a “war criminal and a completely legitimate target.” This statement comes following Kirillov’s Monday indictment by the SBU for allegedly ordering the deployment of banned chemical weapons against Ukrainian Defense Forces.
Throughout the ongoing nearly three-year conflict, Russia has attributed a number of significant attacks to Ukraine. Kyiv has hinted at its involvement but has often refrained from openly accepting responsibility for such incidents.
Among other notable attacks that Russia has accused Ukraine of orchestrating is the death of Darya Dugina. The 29-year-old TV commentator was killed in August 2022 when a remote-controlled bomb detonated in her SUV as she drove on the outskirts of Moscow. Her father, Alexander Dugin, a prominent philosopher and proponent of traditional Russian values, was believed to be the actual target. Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy distanced the nation from the incident, asserting that Dugina was “not our responsibility” and emphasized that she was not a Ukrainian citizen.
In another incident, military blogger Vladlen Tatarsky lost his life in April 2023 when a bomb exploded in a cafe in St. Petersburg during his speech. Tatarsky, who was 40 years old, was a staunch supporter of the conflict in Ukraine and regularly updated his followers about the war. Darya Trepova, 26, was ultimately convicted for his assassination after presenting Tatarsky with a small statue that concealed an explosive device. She claimed ignorance regarding the bomb’s presence.
Similarly, Zakhar Prilepin, a nationalist writer, narrowly escaped death in May 2023 due to a car bomb attack in Nizhny Novgorod. Although he survived, his driver was killed, and he sustained serious injuries. Prilepin, a well-known supporter of the war who has faced sanctions from the EU, had a Ukrainian national named Alexander Permyakov found guilty of the assassination attempt and sentenced to life imprisonment. Russian authorities alleged he acted on instructions from Kyiv.
Another case involved Stanislav Rzhitsky, a former submarine commander, who was shot dead while jogging in Krasnodar in July 2023. Reports indicated that he was one of the few individuals capable of launching long-range missiles that had previously struck Ukrainian cities. Though Ukrainian officials, including Kyrylo Budanov, denied any involvement in Rzhitsky’s death, they disclosed some details surrounding the event. A 64-year-old Ukrainian-born suspect was later apprehended.
Illia Kyva, a Ukrainian politician who fled to Russia after the invasion, was discovered deceased near Moscow in December 2023, with a gunshot wound to his head. Previously a divisive figure in Ukraine, he often appeared on pro-Kremlin media platforms. A month before his death, he was found guilty of treason in absentia. Following his demise, a spokesperson for Ukrainian military intelligence ominously suggested that other “traitors” could meet similar fates.
Lastly, Sergei Yevsyukov, who once headed a prison housing Ukrainian POWs, was killed on December 9, when a bomb exploded beneath his vehicle in the Russian-occupied city of Donetsk. Yevsyukov had been implicated in serious human rights violations and had been accused of mass torture by Ukrainian authorities. Following his death, Russian officials announced the detention of a suspect connected to the incident.
Moreover, reports from December 12 indicated that Russian missile designer Mikhail Shatsky was shot in a park on the outskirts of Moscow. Working at the Moscow Experimental Design Bureau Mars, where he oversaw the modernization of cruise missiles, he was attacked while walking in the Kuzminsky forest. Reports of disturbances on the same day as Shatsky’s reported death have arisen, although few details have been disclosed by Russian media outlets.