The Kremlin has previously released similar videos. After the devastating attack on Crocus City Hall in Moscow in March, during which armed men invaded a concert venue, marking Russia’s most severe terror incident in decades, Russian authorities shared videos of suspects – who also hailed from Central Asia – being sought out and physically assaulted by security forces. Subsequently, these suspects appeared in court with visible injuries on their faces and bodies. The fact that the suspect holds Uzbek citizenship may potentially reignite animosity towards Central Asian immigrants in Russia, similar to the backlash that followed the attack on Crocus City Hall, perpetrated by individuals from Tajikistan. Russia heavily relies on immigrants from Central Asia to address shortages in its labor force, which have been exacerbated by the conflict in Ukraine.
During a press briefing on Wednesday, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov remarked that the assassination of Kirillov highlights Ukraine’s willingness to employ terrorist tactics. A source within Ukraine’s Security Service (SBU) informed CNN on Tuesday that Kirillov was considered a war criminal and a legitimate target, as he had issued orders to use banned chemical substances against Ukrainian military personnel. Kirillov had spoken at a press conference in Moscow on November 5, 2024, as depicted in images released by the Russian Defense Ministry/Reuters. The day prior to his assassination, the SBU revealed that, under Kirillov’s directives, Russia had employed over 4,800 instances of chemical munitions since the commencement of the conflict. CNN had previously reported on Russia’s utilization of tear gas as a weapon in Ukraine.
Before his demise, the United States had imposed sanctions on Kirillov’s governmental entity for its purported deployment of the chemical agent chloropicrin against soldiers in Ukraine. Chloropicrin, which impacts the eyes, skin, throat, and lungs, was originally developed for use as a tear gas during the trench warfare of World War I. It was prohibited in 1993 under the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC), of which Russia is a signatory. In October, the United Kingdom also sanctioned Kirillov for the alleged use of “barbaric chemical weapons” in Ukraine.
