For Ukraine – pitched against Russia’s larger and more powerful military – the use of unconventional tactics such as assassinations is seen as a vital way to fight back.
There is no official confirmation yet of who was behind the killing on Tuesday in Moscow of the head of Russia’s nuclear, biological and chemical defence forces.
But the Reuters news agency claimed the attack – which Russian investigators say involved a remotely detonated bomb planted in an e-scooter – was carried out by Ukraine’s security service, the SBU.
Ukraine war latest: Reaction to general’s killing
The scooter that exploded, killing the Russian general
Igor Kirillov in 2018.
File pic: AP
If proven, the ability of Ukrainian agents to kill a top commander in the Russian capital will be ringing alarm bells inside the Kremlin and is an embarrassing security breach.
The target of the bomb blast was Lieutenant General Igor Kirillov. His assistant was also killed.
A day earlier, the SBU accused the Russian general of using banned chemical weapons on the battlefield in Ukraine.
The Ukrainian security service said it had recorded more than 4,800 uses of chemical weapons on the battlefield since February 2022, particularly of one specific type of combat grenade.
A source told Reuters that Kyiv regarded Lieutenant General Kirillov as a war criminal and an “absolutely legitimate target”.
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Moscow will surely seek to retaliate – whether or not the assassination is officially confirmed to be linked to Ukraine.
Either way, Kyiv will be bracing itself.