Ingushetian men accused over Russian general’s assassination
Kommersant revealed new details about the investigation into the December 2024 assassination of Lieutenant General Igor Kirillov, the head of Russia’s Radiation, Chemical, and Biological Defence Troops. According to the newspaper, two natives of Ingushetia are now accused of assisting the perpetrators.
Kirillov and an aide were killed when an electric scooter laden with explosives was blown up as Kirillov left his home is south-east Moscow. According to the BBC, sources from the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) said they were behind the attack. Kirillov was a prominent spokesman for Russia’s war on Ukraine, and the UK had accused him of commanding the deployment of chemical weapons in the country; the BBC's sources labelled him a war criminal and legitimate target.
Uzbekistani citizen Akhmad Kurbanov is the main suspect in the case. Kurbanov allegedly put the scooter in place and then detonated it when he saw Kirillov leave his home; he also recorded the attack for his Ukrainian coordinators. He fled the scene but was detained a few days later in the Moscow suburb of Elektrougli. According to Kurbanov’s confession — undoubtedly obtained under duress — he expected to receive $100,000 and a residency permit for a European Union country.
In the latest developments reported by Kommersant, investigators have identified two of Kurbanov’s accomplices: Ingushetian natives who worked in Moscow. The men are accused of providing Kurbanov with the accommodation that he hid in after the attack, having received a request from an acquaintance living abroad. They then fled to Siberia, where they were detained, after they heard about the attack. The men are allegedly members of the Batalkhadzhintsy Brotherhood, which — as you will have seen from my annual report — is a focal point of counterterrorism activity in Ingushetia.
The Investigative Committee subsequently identified the two men as Batukhan Tochiyev and Ramazan Padiyev.
The two men were detained under administrative arrest on charges of not obeying police officers and petty hooliganism. They have not yet been charged with terrorism offences, but are expected to be transferred to Moscow and charged there.