This article was reprinted with permission after being published by Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty.
Russia called Kyiv “terrorism,” after authorities claimed they had detained a Kyrgyz national who had been accused of planting an explosive machine that had killed a senior Russian officer on Ukrainian intelligence’s orders.
Lieutenant General Igor Kirillov, the head of Russia’s Nuclear, Biological, and Chemical Defense Forces ( RKhBZ ), and his assistant were killed by a bomb concealed in a scooter outside the entrance of a Moscow building early on December 17.
Some analysts were unsure whether the 29-year-old Central Asian was a victim due to the rapid pace of the imprisonment of the unknown suspect, and there were unconfirmed reports that police were ramping up assaults on migrants.
The unique services are “incredibly interested in demonstrating to their bosses that their job has been conducted successfully, and so on.” It’s not the first day we’ve seen this. It’s hard to judge right now how accurate this]arrest ] is”, political analyst Dmitry Oreshkin told Current Time.
A resource at Ukraine’s SBU surveillance company told RFE/RL that the fire was the result of a particular procedure by the SBU, even though no one or group formally claimed responsibility for the killing.
Russia’s Federal Security Service ( FSB ) said in a , statement , on December 18 that the unnamed suspect had been recruited and trained by Ukraine’s special services and promised money to carry out the attack.
The FSB said the suspect, on recommendations from Ukraine, “arrived in Moscow, received a high-power homemade explosive machine, and placed it on an electric bike, which he parked near the entrance to the house of Kirillov”.
The FSB speech, which claimed Kirillov and his assistant were exiting the building, was unreported by the Kremlin.
According to the statement, the accused man received$ 100, 000 for the crime as well as internship in a Western nation. The suspect also faces life in prison for allegedly breaking the news, according to the speech.
The FSB assured the FSB that the Polish special services officers responsible for the terrorist attack would be located and will receive the appropriate punishment.
Some analysts questioned the FSB’s response’s rapidity because it did not provide any supporting documentation with its speech.
One Kyrgyzstani girl told RFE/RL in Moscow that she anticipates a backlash against Central Asian immigrant workers.
” The situation is difficult”, the person said. ” I believe this situation will only get worse for Central Asian workers,” he adds. Street checks will probably enhance”.
The lady, who spoke on condition of anonymity because she was hesitant to disclose her personality, mentioned that there were numerous raids and arrests of Central Asians from Russia and that this could happen again, she said.
Four men, all Tajik citizens, were responsible for the abuse in which 144 people were killed, according to Russian researchers.
The Kyrgyz person who spoke with RFE/RL stated that she believes that Uzbeks in Russia will continue to experience difficulty.
” Migration legislation in Russia are already being tightened. She continued, noting that new rules will go into effect on January 1 and that “everything may be also harder” because things will only get worse for them.
Kirillov, 54, is the highest-level Soviet military officer to get killed in an apparent assassination since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
His death came a day after the SBU learned that Russian prosecutors had charged him with using chemical arms against Russian forces during the unwarranted invasion of Ukraine by Russia.
The SBU has said Russian troops have used chemical weapons nearly 5, 000 periods during the war in Ukraine under Kirillov’s management. The assertion was no independently verified.
The RKhBZ are specific makes who operate under circumstances of nuclear, chemical, and biological contamination.
One of the many Russian officials and pro-war numbers killed in Russia and the Ukrainian territories that are under Russian control is Kirillov.
His death comes a month after a senior national from a Russian company that manufactures boat weapons used by Moscow in the conflict was reported shot dead outside the capital.
With about 20 million people in Russia having Russian roots, “you can get a percent who are willing to honestly labor for Ukraine,” according to Viktor Yahun, the original assistant head of the SBU, in an interview with RFE/RL’s Ukrainian Service. That’s why there are so many providers over it”.
Kirillov was seen in footage that was key to an , RFE/RL Russian Service investigation , that revealed details about a restricted center outside Moscow. According to the United States, Russia maintains an unpleasant biological weapons programme in violation of the UN Biological Weapons Convention.
Previous Soviet leader Dmitry Medvedev, a top Russian security official, claimed at a meeting held on state TV that NATO and Ukraine’s American allies were responsible for the attack because they had supported Kyiv throughout Moscow’s full-scale invasion of its neighbor.
These individuals are genuine targets for the military, he said, and they should be.
NATO officials have not commented publicly on Medvedev’s comment, but Kaja Kallas, the best EU minister, told reporters in Brussels that” Russia is often threatening”.
The only thing we can do is not be afraid, she continued, adding that because it is meant to scare us, what we see are the challenges we have already heard.
Security scientist Yuri Fedorov told Current Day that he anticipates that Russia will” will certainly try to fight, so it is very possible that there will be attempts by the Russian agents to remove large Russian military and/or protection services officers.”
” People like General Kirillov are not the irreplaceable figures who cannot be replaced,” though the attacks on Russian generals may have a political and psychological impact.
