A high-ranking Russian general has been killed in an explosion in Moscow.
Lieutenant General Igor Kirillov of the Nuclear, Biological, Chemical Defence Forces (NBC) left his home on Tuesday when a hidden device exploded, killing him - Russia's investigative committee said.
According to state media, the bomb was hidden in a nearby scooter.
His assistant was also killed.
The UK placed sanctions on Kirillov in October, accusing him of using chemical weapons in Ukraine and acting as a "significant mouthpiece for Kremlin disinformation".
His death comes just one day after Ukraine's secret service charged him in absentia, branding him "responsible for the mass use of banned chemical weapons".
“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.
"Investigators, forensic experts and operational services are working at the scene," it said.
"Investigative actions and operational search activities are being carried out aimed at establishing all the circumstances of the crime."
Images posted on Russian Telegram channels show two bodies lying on blood-stained snow in the entrance to a residential building.
