Lieutenant General Igor Kirillov was killed on Tuesday in an explosion outside his residence in Moscow. The day before, the Ukrainian secret service SBU had charged Kirrilov, who is responsible for Russia’s radiation, biological and chemical defence forces, with war crimes and formally opened an investigation into the use of chemical weapons in Ukraine. Europe’s press assesses the situation.
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He was a war criminal
In the view of gazeta.ua, Kirillov was a legitimate target:
“The deceased was a war criminal – it was on his orders that the Russian attackers received the chemical agent chloropicrin, the use of which is banned for military purposes, and repeatedly used it on Ukrainian troops. They posted videos of their crimes online. This is why the SBU had brought charges against Kirillov.”
Worrying for Moscow, but not a gamechanger
Hospodářské noviny comments:
“General Kirillov was a high-ranking military officer who commanded an entire branch of the army – in other words, he is the highest-ranking Russian soldier to have been (very likely) liquidated by the Ukrainians. The fact that Ukraine was able to carry out a bomb attack in Moscow with such precision must be extremely worrying for the Russian leadership – but unfortunately it will not change the dynamics of the war. Only the death of one man would change that, but since February 2022 he has been hiding away in his numerous bunkers and receiving visitors at extraordinarily long tables.”
Secret service tactics as a special weapon
La Repubblica discusses the fact that this time Ukrainian sources are openly reporting that the SBU carried out the attack:
“’Israeli techniques’, say the Ukrainian analysts, citing the magic word most frequently used by those who want to show how you defend yourself against the Russians: don’t beg Nato to help but transform society into a war machine that can strike anywhere. This time there is no need for dubious formulations to identify the perpetrators. … ‘The bomb attack was a special operation by the SBU,’ agency sources openly claim. … If there is one thing the secret services don’t normally do, it’s take credit for unscrupulous actions.”
Blaming the “Anglo-Saxons”
The Independent observes:
“Even senior officials are replaceable. However showing that such senior officers are personally vulnerable can be a blow to a regime’s prestige with an even greater effect on enemy morale. The fact that Russian spokespeople have blamed the ‘Anglo-Saxons’ for Lieutenant General Kirillov’s assassination, outside an apartment building in the Russian capital, is a sign that the Kremlin does not want to let Ukraine take full credit for his killing. Much better to blame James Bond than accept that the despised Ukrainian enemy can strike in Moscow itself.”
Increasingly indifferent to retaliatory measures
The war has changed us all, Interia observes with concern:
“Former president and active propagandist Dmitry Medvedev has announced revenge. However, we already know that successful Ukrainian operations are followed by retaliatory measures from Russia which usually target civilians. The reactions to the spectacular operation in Moscow show how much we have – unfortunately – become accustomed to war. Within just a few years, war has changed us and we don’t even realise it. The initial shock has been overcome, tamed by the media and the way life goes on.”