Putin has been dealt a massive blow after a high-ranking Russian army general in charge of the Nuclear, Biological, Chemical Defence Forces (NBC) was killed today in a bomb blast, say reports.

Lieutenant General Igor Kirillov, 54, died in the explosion as he emerged from his apartment block in Moscow when a device hidden in a scooter was detonated, Russia‘s Investigative Committee said.

His driver or assistant was also killed, the bombing is believed to be by a Ukrainian hit squad.

Pictures from the scene showed the building entrance badly littered with rubble, the door itself appears to have been torn off and the windowds smashed. Two bodies lying on blood-stained snow could also be seen.

His car which had arrived to collect him was also damaged.

The bomb is believed to have detonated remotely triggering the explosion of an estimated 200 grams of TNT.

A criminal case has been opened.

“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.”

His death comes just one day after Ukraine‘s secret service, the SBU, charged him in absentia, saying on Telegram, he was “responsible for the mass use of banned chemical weapons”.

The SBU has claimed that Russia used chemical weapons nearly 5,000 times under Kirillov’s leadership.

Kirillov was appointed to head the NBC force in April 2017. According to Russian state-run media outlet Tass, he attended the Kostroma Higher Military Command School of Chemical Defence.

Britain in October sanctioned Mr Kirillov and the nuclear protection forces for using riot control agents and multiple reports of the use of the toxic choking agent chloropicrin on the battlefield.