The UK will not mourn the death of Igor Kirillov, the Russian general reportedly killed in a Ukrainian operation in Moscow, Downing Street has said.
But Sir Keir Starmer would not be directly drawn into saying whether he supported Kyiv in such attacks.
The senior military figure was killed by a bomb hidden in a scooter outside his apartment building in the Russian capital as he left for work.
Lieutenant General Kirillov was the chief of the Russian military’s nuclear, biological and chemical protection forces.
Ukrainian officials have claimed they were responsible for carrying out the attack, which was triggered remotely and also killed his assistant.
“Clearly we are not going to mourn the death of an individual who has propagated an illegal invasion and imposed suffering and death on the Ukrainian people,” Sir Keir’s official spokesman, when asked about the attack, said.
The general had been sanctioned by the UK Government because of Russia’s war in Ukraine.
Kyiv’s security services, the SBU, had opened a criminal investigation against him on Monday, accusing him of directing the use of banned chemical weapons.
Russia denies it has used such weapons during the course of the war.
The SBU acknowledged it had been behind the attack and defended it, describing the general as a “war criminal and an entirely legitimate target”.
The Prime Minister’s official spokesman said the Government had “always been clear that Ukraine has the right to self-defence against Russia’s illegal war”.
He added: “As the Prime Minister said just yesterday, Russia could put an end to this conflict today. It is Russian aggression that is causing this conflict and the ongoing suffering of the Ukrainian people.”
Sir Keir is currently in Estonia for a meeting of the Joint Expeditionary Force (JEF), a military coalition of several European countries, and met his Estonian counterpart ahead of the summit.
Asked during the visit whether he supported Ukraine in covert attacks of Russian officials on their home soil, the Prime Minister would not directly answer.
“We must stand with Ukraine. I think that is a developing situation,” he replied.
Sir Keir added: “But this morning’s discussion was very clear about the strategic need for Nato to stand, as we do, with Ukraine in this critical period.”
The JEF summit follows Sir Keir’s meeting with Norwegian prime minister Jonas Gahr Store in Bergen on Monday, where the pair pledged continued support for Kyiv.
In what appeared to be a plea to incoming US President Donald Trump, Sir Keir has said it would be a “big mistake” if Ukraine’s allies did not continue to give it the “strongest” support.
Mr Trump said he disagreed “very vehemently” with Ukraine firing US-made missiles into Russia in an interview with Time Magazine, but insisted he would not abandon Kyiv.
