US unaware of plan to kill Russian general, State Department says
Photo: US State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller (Getty Images)
Russian Lieutenant General Igor Kirillov was killed yesterday, December 17, in Moscow. The United States denies any involvement in his assassination, reports US State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller.
"I can tell you that the United States was not aware of it in advance and was not involved," Miller said.
According to Miller, the deceased general had been involved in numerous atrocities and the use of chemical weapons against Ukrainian forces.
"It’s something the United States has been – has publicly assessed before, that the – that the Russian military under his – in – a unit under his command has used riot agents in violation of international law," the State Department representative added.
As a reminder, Kirillov, chief of the Russian Armed Forces' radiation, chemical, and biological defense troops, was killed in an explosion in Moscow, sources reported.
RBC-Ukraine sources claim the operation to eliminate Kirillov was conducted by Ukraine’s Security Service (SSU).
"Kirillov was a war criminal and a legitimate target, as he gave orders to use banned chemical weapons against the Ukrainian military. Such an ignominious end awaits all those who kill Ukrainians. Retribution for war crimes is inevitable," said an informed source.
Notably, one day prior to Kirillov’s death, the SSU officially charged him with the mass use of prohibited chemical weapons against Ukraine’s defense forces in the east and south of the country.
