Ukraine's 'modus operandi': SBU targeting Russian military figures like 'war criminal' Igor Kirillov

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00:00Ukraine claims it was behind the killing of a top Russian general accused of using chemical

00:04weapons against Ukrainian troops. Lieutenant General Igor Krylov was the head of Russia's

00:10nuclear, biological and chemical defence unit and was killed when a bomb hidden in an electric

00:15scooter detonated near him. He is the most senior Russian military officer to be murdered inside

00:21Russia and Moscow has now detained a citizen from Uzbekistan in connection with that killing.

00:28Well, to take a more in-depth look at the issue, we can speak with Senior Lecturer of

00:32Defence Studies at King's College in London, Dr Rud Thornton. Thanks for your time. Firstly,

00:38you know, Ukraine claims it's behind this killing. Do you think it's definitely them?

00:45Oh yes, it certainly is. It's part of the modus operandi and just the day before he was killed,

00:51he was accused by the Ukrainian government of being a war criminal. So, and the SBU, the

00:57security service in Ukraine was definitely targeting certain Russian military figures

01:03and Krylov is certainly not the first and probably not the last targeted by the Ukrainians.

01:10Do you think there was anybody else involved? Because also,

01:13Krylov had been sanctioned by the US and the UK for using those chemical weapons.

01:18Well, that's conjecture. The SBU might have got some sort of foreign assistance,

01:25shall we put it. But I think the Ukrainians can handle this kind of thing on their own.

01:30Certainly, there will be a network of people within Russia itself who will be sympathetic to

01:36Ukrainian cause. So I don't, it probably is an internal Ukrainian operation that might have got

01:44some help from Western agencies, but I don't think so.

01:47As you said, Dr. Thornton, it is not the first. It is, however, the most senior

01:52Russian military official to be killed inside Russia. You know,

01:56how do you think Russia is likely to react?

02:00It's difficult to know what Russia could do. There could be some sort of tit for tat,

02:06maybe an internal operation by the Russian security services inside Ukraine itself,

02:12but that will be difficult. I think Ukrainian security is far better than Russian security.

02:18What the Russians will do, what Russian military figures will do, is beef up their own security.

02:23Obviously, Krylov seemed to have no real kind of security measures around him. He was just coming

02:29out of his ordinary flat in a suburb of Moscow without any protection, and that will have to end.

02:36In terms of revenge attacks by Putin, it's difficult. There might be some sort of launch of

02:41an extra volley of missiles fired from Russia at Ukrainian targets, and Putin will say this

02:48was in revenge for Krylov's death. But there isn't much beyond what Russia is already doing

02:54that Putin might do in the future in terms of revenge for this particular attack.

02:58Dr. Rod Thornton of King's College London, thanks very much indeed for joining us.

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