Russia detains Uzbek suspect over murder of top general in Moscow blast 

Authorities in Russia have arrested a suspect over the killing of a top general and his aide in a bomb blast in Moscow.

The Investigative Committee said in a statement on Wednesday that a national of Uzbekistan had been arrested on suspicion of having committed the attack that killed Lieutenant General Igor Kirillov and his assistant Ilya Polikarpov on Tuesday morning.

It added the 29-year-old suspect said he had been “recruited by Ukrainian special forces”.

Kirillov, 54, had been the head of Russia’s Nuclear, Biological and Chemical Protection Troops since 2017. He was killed outside an apartment building when a bomb hidden in an electric scooter went off.

A source in the Security Service of Ukraine or SBU confirmed to Al Jazeera the agency was behind the attack. Ukraine has yet to officially comment on the incident.

On Monday, the SBU had opened a criminal investigation against Kirillov, accusing him of directing the use of banned chemical weapons.

Russia has denied using any chemical weapons in its continuing war in Ukraine.

Kirillov is the most senior Russian military officer to be assassinated inside Russia by Ukraine. His murder is likely to prompt the Russian authorities to review security protocols for the army’s top brass.