The US has denied any involvement or prior knowledge of the bombing that killed Russian Lieutenant General Igor Kirillov and his assistant in Moscow. Both the Pentagon and State Department have distanced themselves from the targeted assassination, which is believed to have been carried out by Ukraine.
The commander of the Russian Radiological, Chemical, and Biological Defense Forces was killed along with his aide in an explosion outside his apartment early on Tuesday morning. Multiple media outlets have reported that the assassination was executed on the orders of Ukraine’s Security Service (SBU).
“I can tell you we were not aware of this operation in advance. We do not support or enable those kinds of activities,” Pentagon Press Secretary Major General Pat Ryder stated during a press briefing later that day.
Ryder added that he had seen reports about the blast but did not have additional information beyond what was available in the media, noting “so I’d have to refer you to the Ukrainians on that.”
State Department spokesman Matthew Miller echoed these sentiments. “I can tell you that the United States was not aware of it in advance and was not involved,” Miller said on Tuesday. He went on to describe Kirillov as a general “involved in a number of atrocities,” stopping short of branding him a legitimate target.
The assassination occurred just hours after Kiev accused Kirillov of being linked to the use of chemical agents on the battlefield, a claim Moscow vehemently denies. While Kiev has not officially claimed responsibility for the attack, the SBU is widely believed to be behind the operation. Multiple media outlets, including Reuters, the BBC, and Ukrainian media, cited anonymous sources within the SBU describing Kirillov as “a war criminal and an absolutely legitimate target” for assassination.
Former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev, who currently serves as deputy chair of the Russian Security Council, characterized the murder as a sign of Kiev’s desperation. “This is a clear indication of the agony of the Ukrainian government, which uses its remaining strength to justify its worthless existence to Western masters, prolong war and death, and explain away the catastrophic situation on the front line,” Medvedev said.
Kirillov took command of the Russian military branch in 2017. He was involved in investigating alleged Ukrainian use of chemical weapons against Russian troops and provided regular reports about American labs in Ukraine, which he claimed were involved in biological warfare research.
Kiev reportedly operates an extensive assassination program targeting individuals it considers enemies of Ukraine, according to media reports and statements by former officials. Moscow says Kiev is resorting to terrorist tactics due to its military failures. Russian investigators have accused the Ukrainian government of killing journalist Darya Dugina, military blogger Vladlen Tatarsky, and other civilians.