FSB links banned community members to Kirillov killing

Russia’s Federal Security Service said on October 14 that members of the banned Batal-Khadzhi Belkhoroyev followers’ community had assisted in the attack that killed Lieutenant General Igor Kirillov. The service alleged involvement by Ukrainian intelligence.

The FSB named Ramazan Padiyev and Batukhan Tochiyev. According to the Investigative Committee’s account, they rented accommodation for the attacker and received money for him from a handler.

Kirillov, who headed Russia’s radiation, chemical and biological defence troops, and his assistant Ilya Polikarpov were killed in Moscow on December 17, 2024. The supplied report says a January 2026 judgment imposed sentences ranging from 18 years to life on four defendants.

In the same statement, the FSB linked community members to attacks in Ingushetia on June 21–22, 2004, saying 78 people were killed and 113 wounded. These are the service’s allegations. The Supreme Court separately designated the community as terrorist and banned it in Russia on October 14.