Colonel-General Stanislav Petrov, the former commander of Russia’s Radiation, Chemical, and Biological Protection (RCBD) troops, reportedly died by suicide in Moscow.

Relatives discovered the body of the 87-year-old retired general early in the morning on April 2 in his apartment at the famous House on the Embankment. Law enforcement sources confirmed the incident to Russian state media, adding that a pistol was found near his body, News.Az reports, citing foreign media.

Petrov was found “sitting on a chair in the kitchen.” A medical source told Russian state media outlet that the general had been suffering from a severe illness recently.

The Moscow Times writes that Petrov was a highly prominent military figure and one of the founders of Russia’s modern chemical defense forces. He served as the final commander of the USSR’s chemical protection troops from 1989 to 1992 and led the newly formed Russian RCBD troops until 2001.

Following his retirement, Petrov remained deeply involved in the military-scientific complex. He served as editor-in-chief of the RCBD Troops Herald and worked as the chief researcher at the 27th Scientific Center of the Russian Ministry of Defense.

The 27th Scientific Center is currently under international sanctions from the EU, US, UK, Ukraine, and Canada due to its active involvement in the development and deployment of chemical agents, The Moscow Times wrote.

In October 2024, London explicitly sanctioned the center, alongside the 33rd Central Scientific Research Test Institute and current RCBD head Lieutenant-General Igor Kirillov, for the deployment of chemical weapons against Ukrainian forces, including the use of chloropicrin.

Russia has indirectly acknowledged the center’s role in chemical weapons development. In an article celebrating the organization’s 50th anniversary, officials claimed its experts “effectively neutralized the military-chemical potential of the US and NATO,” allegedly forcing the West to sign the Chemical Weapons Convention, according to The Moscow Times.

Petrov’s death occurs against the backdrop of Russia’s systematic deployment of prohibited chemical agents against Ukrainians, a campaign linked to the research centers he oversaw.

According to previous reports, there have been more than 13,000 documented cases of Russian chemical attacks since the full-scale invasion began, with nearly 400 incidents recorded in February 2026 alone. Russian troops frequently utilize K-51 and RG-VO gas grenades loaded with CS and CN riot-control agents.

While typically non-lethal, their use in armed conflict is a direct violation of the Chemical Weapons Convention. Exposure causes severe respiratory distress, temporary loss of combat capability, and Ukrainian officials report that some soldiers are exhibiting symptoms indicative of exposure to “unidentified” chemical mixtures.

News.Az 

By Ulviyya Salmanli