Eyewitnesses of the explosion on Ryazansky Prospekt in Moscow told about the incident

On December 17, Izvestia correspondent reported on the situation near the house on Ryazansky Avenue in Moscow, where an explosion occurred this morning, killing Lieutenant General Igor Kirillov, head of the radiation, chemical and biological defense troops of the Russian Armed Forces (AF).

"All operational services are working: the police, the Investigative Committee. The area is cordoned off, no one is allowed to go to the site of the emergency, ambulance and sappers are on duty," he said, specifying that people are asked to leave the roadway and not to approach the cordoned-off area.

According to an eyewitness, at the moment of the explosion "the house shook" and became very scary.

The footage also shows part of the destroyed entranceway and broken glass in the windows on the first floor.

"I live nearby, in the next entrance from the destroyed. Today at 6 am there was a strong explosion. Everyone woke up, did not realize what happened. <...> The entryway is destroyed," said another eyewitness, Yan Kolomenko.

Chief of the RKhBZ troops Kirillov was killed in an explosion in Moscow. What is known

The death of Igor Kirillov and his assistant became known earlier in the day. The men were killed as a result of detonation of an explosive device planted in a scooter, standing next to the entrance. The explosion occurred near a seven-story apartment building on Ryazansky Avenue in Moscow. A criminal case of murder and terrorist act was opened over the incident.

Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova noted that Igor Kirillov had been systematically exposing Western crimes for many years, working fearlessly and never hiding behind the backs of others. He fought for the Motherland and for the truth, the diplomat concluded.

Vice-speaker of the Federation Council Konstantin Kosachev called the incident a shock and irreplaceable loss. He expressed condolences to the families of the victims and said that the killers would be punished beyond any doubt and without mercy.