Ukrainian security services have killed a senior Russian general in charge of nuclear protection forces in Moscow today, intelligence sources in Kyiv have claimed.
Lieutenant General Igor Kirillov, the chief of Russia’s Nuclear, Biological and Chemical Protection Troops, was killed outside an apartment building on Ryazansky Prospekt after a bomb hidden in an electric scooter detonated.
In a statement to the Financial Times, an intelligence source described Kirillov as a “completely legitimate target”.
He was sanctioned by Britain in October for his battlefield involvement in Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
“Igor Kirillov, the head of the radiation, chemical and biological protection forces of the armed forces of the Russian Federation, and his assistant were killed,” the investigative committee said.
His death comes a day after Ukrainian prosecutors charged him with the alleged use of banned chemical weapons in Ukraine war.
Dmitry Medvedev, the deputy chairman of Russia’s Security Council, said the Ukrainian leadership faces imminent revenge for the “cowardly and despicable strikes”, the RIA state news agency reported.
Key Points
- UK sanctions 20 ‘shadow fleet’ ships
- Ukrainian leadership faces imminent revenge - Medvedev
- Moment Russian general is killed by scooter bomb in Moscow
- Ukraine claims responsibility for assassination of Russian nuclear general in Moscow
- Who was Igor Kirillov, senior Russian general killed
Nato takes over coordination of military aid to Kyiv from US
03:37
Arpan Rai
Nato has taken over coordination of Western military aid to Ukraine from the US as planned, a source said yesterday.
The move will allow Nato a more direct role in the war against Russia’s invasion and safeguard the support mechanism against the incoming Donald Trump administration.
The headquarters of Nato’s new Ukraine mission, dubbed Nato Security Assistance and Training for Ukraine (NSATU), is located at Clay Barracks, a US base in the German town of Wiesbaden. A person familiar with the matter told Reuters it was now fully operational.
Nato’s military headquarters SHAPE said its Ukraine mission was beginning to assume responsibilities from the US and international organisations.
“The work of NSATU... is designed to place Ukraine in a position of strength, which puts Nato in a position of strength to keep safe and prosperous its one billion people in both Europe and North America,” said US army general Christopher G Cavoli, the Supreme Allied Commander Europe.
“This is a good day for Ukraine and a good day for Nato,” he said.
Defence expert warns of major Russian retaliation after general’s death in Moscow
03:07
Arpan Rai
A defence expert has warned of major Russian retaliation after a senior Russian general in charge of nuclear protection forces died in Moscow yesterday. Igor Kirillov was killed outside an apartment building on Ryazansky Prospekt.
His assistant was also killed, a Russian investigative committee said.
Ukrainian prosecutors had charged Kirillov with the use of banned chemical weapons in the Ukraine war the day before he died.
Tobias Ellwood, an army reservist and former defence minister, told Sky News on Tuesday: “This will be an embarrassment for Putin. He cannot hide this from the Russian people.
“I would expect a major retaliation on the Russian side.”
'Several hundred' North Korean troops killed and wounded in Ukraine war, claims US official
03:05
Arpan Rai
North Korea has suffered “several hundred” casualties while fighting alongside Russian forces against Ukraine in the Kursk border region, a senior US military official said yesterday, a much higher toll than one given by Kyiv earlier this week.
The official didn’t provide details on exactly how many have been killed, but said the North Korean forces don’t appear to be battle-hardened, which contributes to the number of casualties they’ve had.
“Several hundred casualties is our latest estimate that the DPRK has suffered,” the official said on condition of anonymity. This “would include everything from… light wounds up to being KIA (killed in action)”, the official said, with soldiers of “all ranks” among the casualties.
The estimate of North Korean casualties comes several weeks after Ukraine announced that North Korea had sent between 10,000 and 12,000 troops to Russia to help it in the almost 3-year war.
Russian forces edge closer to key Ukrainian city
03:00
Tom Watling
UK announces new support package for Ukraine
02:00
Tom Watling
⚡️The UK government announced a new £35 million ($44 million) emergency support package for Ukraine in response to intensified Russian attacks on Ukrainian energy infrastructure.
— Euromaidan Press (@EuromaidanPress) December 17, 2024
It also implemented additional sanctions targeting 20 shadow fleet ships carrying Russian oil,… https://t.co/jqcsYXofaN
British former paratrooper unlawfully killed in Ukraine, coroner finds
00:00
Tom Watling
What will it cost to defend Britain from a growing Russian threat?
Tuesday 17 December 2024 23:00
Tom Watling
Where Putin’s forces are making gains on the frontline in east Ukraine
Tuesday 17 December 2024 22:00
Tom Watling
Starmer urges Western allies to send more support to Ukraine
Tuesday 17 December 2024 21:00
Tom Watling
Watch: Starmer meets world leaders in Estonia as he visits troops
Tuesday 17 December 2024 20:00
Tom Watling
UK imposes sanctions on trading firm for allegedly carrying illicit Russian oi
Tuesday 17 December 2024 19:54
Jabed Ahmed
Britain has sanctioned 20 ships for allegedly carrying illicit Russian oil, its latest measures targeting Russia's so-called shadow fleet in response to the 2022 invasion of Ukraine.
The British government also said in a statement that it had imposed sanctions on 2Rivers DMCC and 2Rivers PTE LTD, alleging they enabled the trading of Russian oil.
2Rivers said in a statement: "Coral/2Rivers Energy is deeply disappointed by the decision of the UK Foreign, Commonwealth, & Development Office (FCDO) to impose sanctions."
UK imposes sanctions on trading firm for allegedly carrying illicit Russian oi
Tuesday 17 December 2024 19:52
Jabed Ahmed
Britain has sanctioned 20 ships for allegedly carrying illicit Russian oil, its latest measures targeting Russia's so-called shadow fleet in response to the 2022 invasion of Ukraine.
The British government also said in a statement that it had imposed sanctions on 2Rivers DMCC and 2Rivers PTE LTD, alleging they enabled the trading of Russian oil.
2Rivers said in a statement: "Coral/2Rivers Energy is deeply disappointed by the decision of the UK Foreign, Commonwealth, & Development Office (FCDO) to impose sanctions."
Who was Igor Kirillov, Russian general killed by bomb in Moscow?
Tuesday 17 December 2024 19:00
Tom Watling
Nuclear bunker sales increase, despite expert warnings they aren’t going to provide protection
Tuesday 17 December 2024 18:00
Tom Watling
Full report: Russian general killed in Moscow scooter blast by Ukrainian agents
Tuesday 17 December 2024 17:23
Jabed Ahmed
Read the full report of today’s events from my colleague Tom Watling:
Watch: Moment of Moscow explosion that killed Russian general Igor Kirillov
Tuesday 17 December 2024 17:16
Jabed Ahmed
Takeaways from the AP's reporting on nuclear bunkers
Tuesday 17 December 2024 17:00
Tom Watling
Poland will do everything to make Ukraine’s Nato membership possible, says PM
Tuesday 17 December 2024 16:45
Jabed Ahmed
Poland will do everything in its power to make Ukraine's Nato membership a real possibility, Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk has said after meeting with Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky in Lviv.
He added that Western countries must do everything to ensure that Ukraine emerges from the war with Russia without losses, with respect for its territory and borders, and with security for the future.
Ukraine’s scooter bomb assassination could change the war… but not for the reasons you might think
Tuesday 17 December 2024 16:30
Tom Watling
Russia is not willing to freeze the war, says Moscow’s UN representative
Tuesday 17 December 2024 16:02
Tom Watling
Russia is not willing to freeze the war in Ukraine despite promises from US president-elect Donald Trump to end the fighting, Moscow’s ambassador to the United Nations has claimed.
“No schemes involving a freeze of the conflict will suit Russia,” said Vasily Nebenzya during a UN security council meeting on Monday.
Russia rejects proposals to freeze war against Ukraine
— Euromaidan Press (@EuromaidanPress) December 17, 2024
“No schemes involving a freeze of the conflict will suit Russia,” declared Vasily Nebenzya, Russia’s Ambassador to the United Nations, during a UN Security Council meeting. https://t.co/lmKfEpmsdu pic.twitter.com/bMcJzeSXZv
Behind enemy lines: Ukraine’s deadly assassins have terrorised Russia with nuclear general their latest victim
Tuesday 17 December 2024 15:28
Tom Watling
The frontline in Ukraine in maps
Tuesday 17 December 2024 15:00
Tom Watling
Key Takeaways | Russian Offensive Campaign Assessment, December 16, 2024:
— Institute for the Study of War (@TheStudyofWar) December 17, 2024
- Ukrainian forces recently regained lost positions near Pokrovsk, and Russian forces recently advanced near Chasiv Yar, Kurakhove, and Velyka Novosilka and in Kursk Oblast.
- Russian President Vladimir… pic.twitter.com/VuUWVSKjCJ
Watch: Sir Keir Starmer urges Western allies to 'double-down' in support of Ukraine
Tuesday 17 December 2024 14:38
Alex Croft
Russia passes law against ‘foreign agents'
Tuesday 17 December 2024 14:23
Alex Croft
Russia has approved legislation which tightens restrictions on income received by people in Moscow designated as “foreign agents”.
Under Russian law, any person or organisation receiving support from outside Russia must register as a “foreign agent”, allowing Moscow to discredit foreign actors.
The new bill, which requires “foreign agents” to transfer all income from the sale or rental of property and vehicles to special rouble accounts, has passed its third and final reading in the Russian Duma.
They will also be required to transfer any earnings from intellectual activity, including works of science, literature and art, performances and broadcasting, to those accounts, Reuters news agency reported.
Individuals will only regain access to the funds once they are removed from the Justice Ministry’s foreign agents register.
A total of 895 individuals are listed as foreign agents.
Legislation to allow multiple citizenship passes first reading in Kyiv
Tuesday 17 December 2024 14:08
Alex Croft
The Ukrainian parliament has supported legislation allowing multiple citizenship, lawmaker Yaroslav Zhelezniak said according to The Kyiv Independent.
Current legislation only allows Ukrainians to hold single citizenship. President Volodymyr Zelensky submitted the new bill in August, stressing its importance as part of his internal resilience plan in November.
The bill has passed its first reading with 247 lawmakers in favour. It still must pass a second reading and be signed by the president before it becomes law.
It is seen as part of Ukraine’s effort to strengthen ties with Ukrainians living abroad, with Mr Zelensky saying it will allow ethnic Ukrainians born abroad to obtain citizenship.
Report: Nuclear bunker sales increase, despite expert warnings they aren’t going to provide protection
Tuesday 17 December 2024 13:53
Alex Croft
When Bernard Jones Jr. and his wife, Doris, built their dream home, they didn’t hold back. A grotto swimming pool with a waterfall for hot summer days. A home theater for cozy winter nights. A fruit orchard to harvest in fall. And a vast underground bunker in case disaster strikes.
“The world’s not becoming a safer place,” he said. “We wanted to be prepared.”
Under a nondescript metal hatch near the private basketball court, there’s a hidden staircase that leads down into rooms with beds for about 25 people, bathrooms and two kitchens, all backed by a self-sufficient energy source.
With water, electricity, clean air and food, they felt ready for any disaster, even a nuclear blast, at their bucolic home in California’s Inland Empire.
Read the full piece:
Watch: Russian police spokesman shares more details on General Igor Kirillov's death
Tuesday 17 December 2024 13:38
Alex Croft
Russian spies caught in locations with F-16 jets, Ukraine says
Tuesday 17 December 2024 13:22
Alex Croft
Ukraine’s security service says it has uncovered 12 agents spying for Russia on locations which host F-16 fighter jets and air defence systems across Ukraine.
The SBU security service said on the Telegram messenger app that it had detained the “biggest network of agents” in Ukraine’s north and south.
Report: Grassroots funding for Ukraine’s military declines as groups looks for creative ways to raise money
Tuesday 17 December 2024 13:07
Alex Croft
The concert took place in an old movie studio in Kyiv, the location kept secret until the final moment in case it was the target of a Russian attack.
More than 1,000 soldiers and young people gathered to listen to the artists who joined forces with a military brigade in an innovative effort to raise funds for Ukraine’s embattled troops.
This was the first and only live performance of the charity album “Epoch,” a collaboration between the 3rd Assault Brigade and eight Ukrainian bands.
The project’s ambitious target is to raise 50 million hryvnias (about $1.2 million) to buy an M113 armored personnel carrier to help get infantry to the front and evacuate the wounded for medical treatment. Since it launched on streaming platforms a month ago, the initiative has raised 9 million hryvnias (around $214,000).
Read the full report:
Zelensky calls for strong action on Russia’s shadow fleet
Tuesday 17 December 2024 12:47
Alex Croft
Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky has called on allies to help in “protecting nature” after “yet another environmental disaster caused by Russia”.
In a post on X, he said: “Our sea is facing yet another environmental disaster caused by Russia. But there are even larger and more dangerous Russian tankers operating in your seas. Stopping this fleet is not just about cutting off Russia’s war funding – it’s about protecting nature.
“I urge everyone to take even stronger action. Ensure these shadow tanker fleet and other Russian vessels, including those transporting weapons, can no longer operate in European waters.”
The statement came soon after the UK announced sanctions on 20 Russian shadow fleet ships.
Our sea is facing yet another environmental disaster caused by Russia. But there are even larger and more dangerous Russian tankers operating in your seas. Stopping this fleet is not just about cutting off Russia’s war funding – it’s about protecting nature.
— Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) December 17, 2024
Tuesday 17 December 2024 12:32
Alex Croft
A third Russian oil tanker has sent out a distress signal in the Black Sea, Russian state news agency TASS reported on Tuesday.
It comes after two others were damaged and leaked oil following a storm on the weekend.
A local governor said the oil spill has washed up along “tens of kilometres” of the Russian Black Sea Coast and a regional task force has declared an emergency situation at several locations.
The Baza Telegram channel says the third tanker is a more than 50-year-old Volgoneft ship, which is the same as the other two.
Ukraine-Russia war map: Where Putin’s forces are making gains in eastern Ukraine
Tuesday 17 December 2024 12:15
Alex Croft
Ukraine is battling against a “prevailing” Russia in the eastern Donetsk region, Kyiv’s military chief has admitted, as Vladimir Putin’s forces look to secure as much territory as possible before US president-elect Donald Trumpre-enters the White House.
Ukrainian military chief Oleksandr Syrskyi described the fighting as “extremely tough” as he was pictured visiting the Pokrovsk area in Donetsk on Wednesday, where Russian forces have advanced to within just a few miles of the city’s outskirts.
The area is a linchpin of the wider region’s defence and war trackers have expressed concern that should it fall, it could pave the way for Russia to seize swathes of more territory.
“Battles continue in the Pokrovsk direction with the enemy prevailing, first of all, in manpower,” General Syrskyi wrote on the Telegram messenger app.
Tom Watling reports:
Report: The silent war going on inside a city at Nato’s eastern border – which could be Putin’s next target
Tuesday 17 December 2024 11:59
Alex Croft
Home to one of the few crossing points into Russia, the city of Narva is seen by Estonian border force officials as “the end and the beginning of the free world”.
Located on Nato’s eastern border, the city has become the constant target of hybrid warfare tactics employed by Russia – with the Kremlin sending in surveillance blimps on an almost weekly basis and removing Estonian border infrastructure in the dead of night.
“Everything that is on the other side of the border, I wouldn’t use [the term] ‘free world’ to describe that,” says Egert Belitsev, director general of the Estonian border force.
But not everyone in Narva sees it as Belitsev does.
Political corresondent Millie Cooke reports:
Ukrainian star footballer suspended amid doping allegations
Tuesday 17 December 2024 11:44
Alex Croft
Premier League and Ukrainian national team star Mykhailo Mudryk has been suspended after receiving a positive doping test.
The 23-year-old professed his innocence and said he is in “shock” at the findings, adding that he hopes to be “back on the pitch soon”.
Reports in Ukraine name the substance in question, though this has not been verified by either the FA or Mudryk’s club. It is not available in the UK but appears on Wada’s list of banned substances.
Mudryk is the most expensive Ukrainian footballer ever and the most expensive player ever signed from the Ukrainian Premier League, after Chelsea paid an initial £62 million for his services.
He has been capped for the Ukrainian national team 28 times.
Read the full report:
Ukraine downs 20 Russian drones, air force says
Tuesday 17 December 2024 11:34
Alex Croft
The Ukrainian air force downed 20 Russia-launched drones, it said on Tuesday.
Russia launched a total of 31 drones and 10 did not reach their targets, with one still in the air, the air force announced on the Telegram messenger.
UK sanctions 20 ‘shadow fleet’ ships
Tuesday 17 December 2024 11:19
Alex Croft
Prime minister Sir Keir Starmer has announced a new round of sanctions on Russia.
Fresh sanctions have been put in place on 20 Russian shadow fleet vessels carrying Russian oil - a collection of ships working illegally to evade sanctions and regulations. The UK government has also sanctioned energy companies 2Rivers DMCC and 2Rivers PTE LTD.
Sir Keir met with representatives of Denmark, Sweden, Poland, Finland, and Estonia on Tuesday have agreed a new partnership to challenge suspected shadow vessels
It comes as Russian forces continue to attack Ukraine’s vital national infrastructure as looks to create bitter winter conditions for Kyiv’s defense.
Sir Keir also announced an added £35 million of emergency support for Ukraine.
"As (Russian President Vladimir) Putin's oil revenues continue to fuel the fires of his illegal war, Ukrainian families are enduring cold, dark nights, often without heating, light or electricity, targeted by Russia's relentless missile attacks," Sir Keir said.
"These sanctions will add further pressure to Putin's stalling war economy."
Russian prosecutors demand six years in prison for Navalny’s lawyers
Tuesday 17 December 2024 11:01
Alex Croft
Russian prosecutors have demanded prison sentences of nearly six years each for three lawyers who represented late opposition leader Alexei Navalny, one of his allies said on Tuesday.
Vadim Kobzev, Igor Sergunin and Alexei Liptser have been accused of taking part in an extremist organisation by Russia, after their arrest in October 2023. The trio have been added to an official list of “terrorists and extremists”.
Mr Navalny, one of Russia’s most prominent opposition figures, was convicted of extremism and other charges, before he died suddenly in an Arctic penal colony in February. Prosecutors accuse his lawyers of passing information to and from Mr Navalny while he was imprisoned.
Ivan Zhdanov, Mr Navalny’s ally, said on the Telegram messaging app that prosecutors were seeking penal colony sentences of 5 years and 11 months for Kobsez, 5 years and 10 months for Liptser and five years and six months for Sergunin, Reuters news agency reported.
Russian forces seize village in eastern Ukraine, Russian Defence Ministry says
Tuesday 17 December 2024 10:46
Alex Croft
Russian forces claim to have taken control of the settlement of Hannivka in eastern Ukraine, according to Russia’s state RIA news agency.
The reports, which came from Russia’s Defence Ministry on Tuesday, have not been independently verified.
Defence expert warns of major Russian retaliation after general’s death in Moscow
Tuesday 17 December 2024 10:34
Alex Croft
A defence expert has warned of major Russian retaliation after a senior Russian general in charge of nuclear protection forces died in Moscow on Tuesday (17 December).
Igor Kirillov was killed outside an apartment building on Ryazansky Prospekt.
His assistant was also killed, a Russian investigative committee said.
Watch: Starmer meets world leaders in Estonia as he visits troops serving on Russian border
Tuesday 17 December 2024 10:19
Alex Croft
Watch as Sir Keir Starmer met leaders of Baltic states in Estonia for the Joint Expeditionary Force (JEF) conference on Tuesday, 17 December, before visiting British troops serving on Russia‘s border.
The Prime Minister will join leaders from the Nordics and Baltics to discuss support for Ukraine, the sustained threat posed by Russia, and wider European security.
Sir Keir will then visit British forces serving in the region to deter malign Russian threats.
When asked what else could be done to support Ukraine, Sir Keir said: “There is an ever-increasing demand for more capability. That is understandable, and Ukraine needs all the capability that it can get, so I think all of us have put in more capability into Ukraine by way of equipment.
Kyiv condemns visit of Pan-African delegation to Russian-occupied areas
Tuesday 17 December 2024 10:04
Alex Croft
Ukraine’s Foreign Ministry has condemned the visit of a Pan-African delegation to the Russian-occupied territories in Ukraine.
Representatives for a dozen African countries in the Pan-African Parliament visited Ukraine’s eastern Donetsk region to “find out the truth of the Russian people”.
The parliament is the legislative body of the African Union, which represents 55 counties in the African continent.
The Ukrainian Foreign Ministry said in a statement: "Their statements during this visit about opposing colonialism, made on Ukrainian land illegally seized by Russia in the course of its neocolonial war of aggression against Ukraine, are completely absurd.
"Ukraine’s Foreign Ministry strongly protests the visit of the delegation of the Pan-African Parliament."
Two injured in Russian strike on civilian car, says Ukraine
Tuesday 17 December 2024 09:50
Alex Croft
Two people have been injured after Russia struck a civilian car in Ukraine’s southern Kherson region, the region’s military administration said.
Russian forces dropped explosives on an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), injuring a 51-year-old man and a 50-year-old woman.
The pair were both diagnosed with blast and craniocerebral injuries, concussion and shrapnel wounds. They have been taken to hospital for treatment, according to Ukrainska Pravda.
Watch: Aftermath as Russian general killed in Moscow explosion
Tuesday 17 December 2024 09:36
Alex Croft
Watch: Defence expert warns of major Russian retaliation after general’s death in Moscow
Tuesday 17 December 2024 10:21
Alex Croft
A defence expert has warned of major Russian retaliation after a senior Russian general in charge of nuclear protection forces died in Moscow on Tuesday (17 December).
Igor Kirillov was killed outside an apartment building on Ryazansky Prospekt.
His assistant was also killed, a Russian investigative committee said.
Ukrainian leadership faces imminent revenge - Medvedev
Tuesday 17 December 2024 09:21
Alex Croft
Dmitry Medvedev, the deputy chairman of Russia’s Security Council and former president of Russia, said the Ukrainian leadership faces imminent revenge for killing a top Russian general, according to RIA state news agency.
"Realising the inevitability of its military defeat, it launches cowardly and despicable strikes in peaceful cities," Medvedev said.
A source in the Security Service of Ukraine has claimed Kyiv was responsible for the killing of Lieutenant General Igor Kirillov, chief of Russia’s Nuclear, Biological and Chemical Protection Troops.
Watch live: Police swarm Moscow after Russian general killed in Ukraine-claimed attack
Tuesday 17 December 2024 09:05
Tom Watling
Electric scooter fitted with bomb pictured at site of Moscow assassination
Tuesday 17 December 2024 08:47
Tom Watling
Who was Igor Kirillov, senior Russian general killed by bombing in Moscow?
Tuesday 17 December 2024 08:33
Tom Watling
