Soldiers at the forefront of the fight against weapons of mass destruction
As commander of Russia's Radiological, Chemical and Biological Defense Forces, responsible for protecting soldiers and civilians from chemical, biological and radiological weapons, Lieutenant General Kirillov plays a key role in military investigations into sensitive events.
Since taking up the position in 2017, he has hosted more than 40 press conferences, providing sharp analysis not only to Russian officials but also to the public, RT reported.
Allegations of chemical weapons use have become a tool of Western foreign policy, and General Kirillov has been at the forefront of countering these allegations, from Syria to allegations related to Ukraine and the West's chemical weapons program.
Syria: The first front of accusations
The war in Syria marked a turning point in accusations of chemical weapons, when former US President Barack Obama declared that the Syrian government had used chemical weapons against the opposition, crossing a “red line”.
Under Russian mediation, the Damascus government agreed to destroy its entire chemical weapons stockpile by 2013.
However, new accusations continue to emerge, with the West blaming the Syrian army, while Russia insists that these are fake actions by the opposition. Mr. Kirillov has criticized the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) for being dominated by the West and refusing to investigate the scene in Syria for “security” reasons.
The 2018 chemical attack in the city of Douma was at the center of controversy, with OPCW scientists accusing the organization’s leadership of distorting its findings to blame the Syrian government. Kirillov detailed how the Russian military conducted hundreds of chemical weapons tests in Syria, demonstrating the absurdity of the allegations.
The “Novichok” affair and the story in Salisbury
In 2018, the West accused Russia of using the chemical agent Novichok to assassinate former spy Andrey Skripal and his daughter in Salisbury, England. While the Russian civil authorities denied the accusations, Mr. Kirillov pointed out that Western countries, including the UK, have the capacity to develop similar toxic chemicals.
General Kirillov also stressed the irresponsibility of Vil Mirzayanov, the scientist who publicly disclosed the formula for making Novichok after emigrating to the US, creating the risk of spreading this dangerous poison.
Ukraine and the US-backed bio-lab network
Since the conflict in Ukraine broke out in 2022, Kirillov has published numerous reports on the alleged use of chemical weapons by the Ukrainian military and a network of US-funded biological laboratories.
He revealed that the US had removed some 16,000 samples from Ukraine and destroyed much of the evidence, but Russia had seized some important documents that showed that the Pentagon-funded labs could serve a purpose far beyond studying natural threats, as Washington claimed.
The general with the "open mask"
In October 2023, Britain imposed sanctions on Kirillov, accusing him of being behind chemical attacks in Ukraine - something Russia has vehemently denied. Just hours before the assassination on December 17, the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) announced a formal indictment against him, calling him a "war criminal".
Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova praised Kirillov as a general with an "open mask", the head of the radiation, chemical and biological defense forces, who is associated with the image of a gas mask but is ready to publicly "expose crimes", who dares to "face the truth without fear, for the sake of the motherland and truth".
